Overview
- Russian author Zahar Prilepin said he will suspend new literary work for at least the length of his current military contract.
- He stated his group is prepared to launch a friendly analogue to the Nobel Prize in Literature and is ready to proceed with government support.
- Prilepin said his team has built international ties, including outreach in Brazil, to form a bloc that rejects the Western literary hierarchy.
- He previously proposed creating the prize in coordination with China, India, Latin America and Africa during an event in the Kaliningrad region.
- To maintain a public presence during service, he pre-recorded 16 episodes of his show Zahar Plus and plans 8–12 Russian-language lessons; his background includes Donbass involvement since 2015, a 2023 Rosgvardiya contract, injuries in a 2023 car explosion and the Order of Courage.