Russian prison accused of burning foreign books as inmates’ literature is confiscated

01 October 2026 , 16:29

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Russian prison accused of burning foreign books as inmates’ literature is confiscated

On Sept. 29, the administration of Penal Colony No. 6 in St. Petersburg’s Obukhovo district confiscated books by foreign authors from inmates, the city outlet Fontanka reports.

According to the outlet’s source, foreign literature was extracted both from the prison library and from among the inmates’ belongings, to later be destroyed in a furnace. The source said only the Bible and Russian classics were allowed to remain.

In response to an inquiry from Fontanka, the St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region branch of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) said that penal colonies conduct a routine monthly audit of library holdings and books belonging to inmates. The agency claims the inspection is carried out in accordance with Russian law and the Justice Ministry’s Federal List of Extremist Materials. According to the press service, inspectors also check for publications that promote a “cult of violence” or “criminal subculture,” as well as books containing instructions for making prohibited items or substances.

Personal books that are not on the list of extremist materials but fail the screening are not destroyed, according to FSIN representatives — they are handed over to relatives or kept among the inmate’s belongings until release. Only worn-out library books and publications from the federal extremist list may be destroyed, the agency insists. Russian classics and works by foreign authors, according to FSIN, remain in the collection and are issued to inmates under established rules.

In early September, the business outlet Kommersant reported that Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development was looking for a way to keep books by “foreign agents” and “undesirable organizations” that had been published before the status was assigned available in libraries and stores. According to the ministry’s estimate, if the laws were applied literally, municipal libraries could lose up to 50–70% of their holdings, and academic libraries 10–15%.

David Wilson

Politics Editor