Support The Moscow Times!

Moscow's Ukrainian Literature Library to Shut Down

Maxim Stulov / Vedomosti

Moscow's library of Ukrainian literature is slated to be shut down, a lawyer for its director said Monday.

Lawyer Ivan Pavlov cited a ?€?reliable source in the Moscow city government?€? as saying the library is to be closed, according to a post on his Facebook page Monday. Russian authorities had accused library director Natalya Sharina of ?€?extremism?€? and had agents search the homes of library employees.

The library building will house a ?€?multi-media center of eastern Slavic people,?€? the lawyer said.

?€?At least [employees] won't go to a pretrial detention center right away,?€? he said.

The Russian Investigative Committee has claimed that the library director broke the law by distributing books by nationalist-leaning Ukrainian politician Dmitro Korchinsky among library visitors in 2011-15. Some of Korchinsky's books have been declared extremist in Russia and banned.

Sharina's case is currently being treated as a case of particular importance by investigators, the RIA Novosti news agency reported earlier this month.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more