TL;DR
Get movie nights delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has banned Olga Ptitseva’s novels “The 203rd Day of Winter” and “Spring of Water,” according to a notice published October 7. The books have been removed from their publisher’s website and major Russian book catalogs; the reason for the ban has not been officially confirmed in the available reporting.
Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has banned two dystopian novels by writer Olga Ptitseva, ordering them withdrawn from public circulation in the country, according to a notice published October 7 on the God Literatury portal. The titles, “The 203rd Day of Winter” and “Spring of Water,” have since disappeared from the publisher’s website and major Russian book catalogs.
The God Literatury notice said both novels had been entered in Roskomnadzor’s Unified Register of Prohibited Information and in the Registry of Book Assessments maintained by the Russian Book Union’s expert center. It said the works “must be withdrawn from public circulation in Russia.” The Vyorstka outlet reported the notice; Meduza reported the development on October 8.
The regulator’s actions were taken in stages. Roskomnadzor asked the portal to remove information about “The 203rd Day of Winter” on July 16, and later ordered the removal of information about “Spring of Water” on October 2. Both novels have also disappeared from the website of their publisher, Polyandria No Age, and from the catalogs of LitRes and Chitai-Gorod. The publisher confirmed that the regulator had banned the books.
Ptitseva also confirmed that her books had been withdrawn from sale. In a post on her Telegram channel, she wrote: “Friends, it’s true that DTDZ [the novel ‘The 203rd Day of Winter’] has been pulled from sale, but I’m OK. Hugs to all of you.” Her message confirms the withdrawal but does not explain the regulator’s stated grounds.
Two Novels Removed From Sale
The ban affects the availability of two works by a contemporary Russian author across several prominent sales channels. The publisher and retailers’ catalogs no longer list the novels, while the regulator’s notice says they must be withdrawn from public circulation. That makes the development more than a removal of online descriptions: the books themselves have been barred from circulation in Russia, according to the notice.
The titles are part of a connected dystopian story, so the action applies to both installments of a duology. The case also illustrates how regulatory decisions can affect access through multiple parts of the book trade, from publisher websites to large digital and retail catalogs. The available reporting does not establish whether printed copies held by readers or sellers are subject to additional steps beyond the notice’s withdrawal order.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
An Alternate Russia Under Winter
“The 203rd Day of Winter” and “Spring of Water” form a dystopian duology set in an alternate Russia after the Party of Cold takes power. In the novels’ fictional society, winter is permanent, residents are required to maintain a prescribed level of snow cover, and food is distributed through ration cards. Dissenters are sent to freezers.
The novels are part of Ptitseva’s broader body of fiction and contemporary prose. Her earlier novel “Where Wormwood Blooms” was adapted into a television series in 2023 and nominated the following year for the Yasnaya Polyana literary prize in the Youth category. “Come Out of the Closet” was shortlisted for the FICTION35 prize, while “Land of Wonders” was longlisted for the Lyceum prize. Those details establish her prior literary work; they do not identify why Roskomnadzor acted against the two banned novels.
“The books “must be withdrawn from public circulation in Russia.””
— God Literatury portal notice, as reported by Vyorstka
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The Regulator’s Grounds Remain Unconfirmed
The available reporting does not include an official explanation from Roskomnadzor identifying the specific passages or legal basis for the bans. The Blueprint reported that the action may have been prompted by signs of “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships” in the novels. That remains a reported possibility, not a confirmed explanation from the regulator.
It is also unclear whether the publisher or retailers have received additional instructions beyond removing the titles, whether physical copies already in circulation face further restrictions, or whether the decisions can be challenged. The notice’s reported wording directs withdrawal from public circulation but does not answer those questions.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Watch for an Official Explanation
The ban is already reflected in the novels’ removal from the publisher’s website and the LitRes and Chitai-Gorod catalogs. The next information likely to clarify the case would be a detailed statement from Roskomnadzor, a response from the publisher explaining any further steps, or a challenge to the decisions by the author or publisher. None of those developments is confirmed in the reporting available so far.
Readers should distinguish the documented registry entries and removals from the possible explanation reported by The Blueprint. Until officials identify their grounds or the publisher provides further details, the reason for the action and the status of any appeal remain unresolved.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
Which Olga Ptitseva books did Russia ban?
Roskomnadzor banned “The 203rd Day of Winter” and “Spring of Water,” the two novels in Ptitseva’s dystopian duology.
When did the ban become public?
A notice appeared on the God Literatury portal on October 7, 2026. The regulator’s removal requests came earlier: July 16 for the first novel and October 2 for the second.
Why were the novels banned?
The available reporting does not include an official explanation from Roskomnadzor. The Blueprint reported that the ban may be connected to signs of “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships,” but that has not been confirmed by the regulator.
Can readers still find the books through Russian sellers?
The novels have disappeared from the website of publisher Polyandria No Age and from the catalogs of LitRes and Chitai-Gorod. The reported notice says they must be withdrawn from public circulation in Russia; the status of copies already held by readers or sellers is unclear.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
