‘Destructive’ Children’s Books: Censorship and Self-Censorship in Putin’s Russia
How does a book for young readers come to be labelled “destructive” and what do bans, publisher self-policing, and a return to Aesopian language reveal about censorship in contemporary Russia?
From 11–13 February 2026, Ekaterina Shatalova participated in the University of Münster online conference Thinking of the Children: Book Bans, Censorship and Literature for Young People, exploring how “destructive” labels, bans, and mounting pressure on publishers shape what can and can’t be published for young readers in Russia.