Russian bookstore chain suspends sales of Sasha Skochilenko’s book about her life...

Russian bookstore chain suspends sales of Sasha Skochilenko’s book about her life in prison

Sales of “My Prison Trip,” a new book by St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skochilenko, who lives in Europe, have been blocked in Russia. The book was co-written with Masha Pushkina. Publisher Georgy Urushadze reported the forced suspension of sales and published a letter received from an unnamed bookstore chain.

The retailer received a warning from Roskomnadzor. Its representatives are now unsure whether the book can be sold in Russia and have decided not to take any chances.

“We will only be able to return the products to the platform if the government agency withdraws its request,” the message says.

In spring 2022, a case was opened against Sasha Skochilenko under Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code (“fake news about the army”) over notes about the “special military operation” that she used to replace price tags in a supermarket on Vasilyevsky Island. In November 2023, a court found the artist guilty and sentenced her to seven years in a general-regime penal colony. On August 1, 2024, Skochilenko was released early and taken to Germany after being included in a prisoner exchange.

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