MOSCOW — Russian police raided the central Moscow office of publishing house Eksmo on April 21, 2026, seizing thousands of books and taking chief executive Yevgeny Kapiev in for questioning. The operation was part of a criminal extremism case tied to the publication of books dealing with LGBT themes.

Eksmo communications director Yekaterina Kozhanova said police targeted Kapiev as part of a criminal case on extremism over the publication of books dealing with LGBT themes. She said the firm's finance director, head of distribution and deputy commercial director were also interrogated.

Eksmo is suspected of unofficially marketing books that promote gay propaganda to Russian youth. Authorities opened an investigation into the publisher after detecting LGBT propaganda in books published by its Popcorn Books subsidiary, and several members of Eksmo staff were arrested in connection with that probe.

Books showing approval of same-sex relations have been banned in Russia for more than 10 years. The law now requires publishers to remove publications and destroy entire editions if they depict same-sex relationships.

In 2023, Russia's Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ activists should be designated as extremists and banned activities of the international LGBTQ movement. Courts have since issued fines and jail sentences to people displaying LGBTQ symbols such as clothes, jewellery or posters featuring the rainbow flag. The 2026 raid on Eksmo follows that legal framework, with authorities citing the extremism designation as the basis for the criminal case against the publisher.