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Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has banned Olga Ptitseva’s dystopian novels “The 203rd Day of Winter” and “Spring of Water,” according to a notice reported by Vyorstka. The books have been removed from publisher and retailer catalogs; the regulator has not publicly stated the reason in the supplied reporting.
Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has banned two dystopian novels by writer Olga Ptitseva, ordering them removed from public circulation in the country. A notice posted on the God Literatury portal on October 7 said “The 203rd Day of Winter” and “Spring of Water” had been added to the national register of prohibited information, according to Vyorstka.
The notice said the books were also entered in the Registry of Book Assessments maintained by the Russian Book Union’s expert center, and that they “must be withdrawn from public circulation in Russia.” The notice’s wording establishes the regulatory action, but the supplied report does not include a public explanation from Roskomnadzor identifying specific passages or the legal grounds for the decision.
There had been separate removal orders for information about each novel. Roskomnadzor directed the portal to remove information about “Spring of Water” on October 2; information about the first book, “The 203rd Day of Winter,” was removed on July 16 after a request from the regulator. The 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 Roskomnadzor had banned the books.
Ptitseva confirmed that at least the first novel had been withdrawn from sale. “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,” she wrote on her Telegram channel. Her message acknowledged the withdrawal but did not explain the regulator’s reasoning.
Two Novels Removed From Circulation
The decision affects the availability of two books and signals that the restriction reaches beyond a listing on a government register: the titles have also disappeared from the publisher’s site and major bookseller catalogs. Readers in Russia may no longer be able to buy them through those channels, while the notice directs that the books be withdrawn from public circulation.
The novels’ subject matter has drawn attention because they depict an authoritarian alternate Russia, but the reported facts do not establish that their content was the stated basis for the ban. The Blueprint reported that the decision may have been prompted by signs of what Russian law calls “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships.” That account is a reported possibility, not a reason confirmed in the notice described by Vyorstka or in the publisher’s confirmation. The distinction matters: without an official explanation, the legal basis and the material cited by authorities remain unverified in the available reporting.
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A Winter Ruled by the Party
The two novels form a dystopian duology set in an alternate Russia after the fictional Party of Cold takes power. In the story, an enduring winter shapes daily life: residents must maintain a prescribed level of snow cover, food is distributed through ration cards, and people who dissent are sent to freezers. The fictional setting provides context for the books but does not, by itself, establish why authorities acted against them.
Ptitseva has published several novels and collections of contemporary prose. Her novel “Where Wormwood Blooms” was adapted as a television series in 2023 and nominated for the Yasnaya Polyana literary prize in the Youth category the following year. “Come Out of the Closet” was shortlisted for the FICTION35 prize, while “Land of Wonders” was longlisted for the Lyceum prize. These details establish her wider literary work; the supplied report does not say that those titles have been restricted.
“The book in question has been added to Roskomnadzor’s Unified Register of Prohibited Information and the Registry of Book Assessments kept by the Russian Book Union’s expert center and must be withdrawn from public circulation in Russia.”
— God Literatury portal notice, as reported by Vyorstka
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The Regulator’s Reason Is Unstated
The available account does not identify which passages or content Roskomnadzor cited, or provide an official explanation of the legal basis for the ban. The possible connection to claims of “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships” comes from The Blueprint’s reporting and remains unconfirmed by the notice as described. It is also not clear whether the restrictions affect any editions or formats beyond the listings and sales channels reported, or whether the publisher or author plans to challenge the decision.
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Publication and Appeal Status
The immediate effect described in the notice is that the novels must be removed from public circulation in Russia, and the titles are already absent from the publisher’s site and the listed retail catalogs. The supplied reporting does not identify a deadline for further action, an appeal, or a public response from Roskomnadzor explaining its decision. Any change in the books’ status, or clarification of the grounds for the ban, would depend on further statements or records from the regulator, publisher, author, or relevant booksellers.
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Key Questions
Which Olga Ptitseva books were banned?
Roskomnadzor banned “The 203rd Day of Winter” and “Spring of Water,” the two novels in Ptitseva’s dystopian series, according to the notice reported by Vyorstka.
When did the removal orders happen?
The portal removed information about “The 203rd Day of Winter” on July 16 at the regulator’s request. Roskomnadzor ordered information about “Spring of Water” removed on October 2, and a notice about the books appeared on the portal on October 7.
Why did Russia ban the novels?
The notice described in the reporting does not state a specific reason. The Blueprint reported that the ban may be connected to alleged “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships,” but that explanation has not been confirmed in the available account.
Are the books still available in Russia?
The novels have disappeared from the website of publisher Polyandria No Age and from the catalogs of LitRes and Chitai-Gorod. The notice says they must be withdrawn from public circulation; the supplied reporting does not establish whether copies remain available through other channels.
Source: rss
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