Russia Labels Author Boris Akunin as 'Terrorist', Suspends Book Sales
Akunin faces criminal charges for 'discrediting the army' and 'justifying terrorism' following his criticism of Russia's military action in Ukraine.
- Russian authorities have added popular detective novelist Grigory Chkhartishvili, known under the pen name Boris Akunin, to its register of 'extremists and terrorists.'
- A criminal case has been opened against Akunin for 'discrediting the army' and 'justifying terrorism', following his criticism of Russia's military action in Ukraine.
- Russia's leading book publisher, AST, has suspended the printing and sale of books by Akunin due to his public statements.
- Akunin, who lives in London, co-founded a campaign platform called 'True Russia', which supports Ukrainian refugees and Russians who fled their country.
- Akunin has stated that the banning of books and the declaration of a writer as a terrorist is an important milestone, as such actions have not been seen in Russia since Soviet times.