Hello everyone! This is Ivan Smurov—the author of the piece about how Russian cosplay festivals...

Hello everyone! This is Ivan Smurov—the author of the piece about how the letter Z and “SVO people” were banned at Russian cosplay festivals.

Well, not exactly. In fact, Russian cosplay festivals have banned anything that could put organizers at risk of violating Russian law—which is to say, pretty much everything. And it is far from only “Satanism” and LGBT: military cosplay and insignia of security forces have also been caught up in it.

When I started working on the piece, it seemed strange to me. Z cosplayers are so “patriotic”; they fit perfectly into the logic of modern Russia. Could it be that all cosplayers are against the war?

Of course not—moreover, as we found out, some are not even opposed to signing a contract themselves. But because of laws on “discrediting the army,” any action while wearing a military uniform can be misinterpreted by a court—for example, you can easily get a 30,000-ruble fine for a skit featuring a patch reading “Bite for Rus’ with Z”; this is a real story.

So it is no surprise that organizers are being overly cautious. While working on the piece, I carefully read the rules of 130 festivals—and saw all sorts of things. Cover your buttocks with shorts. Do not kiss if both cosplayers are of the same sex. If they are of different sexes, do not kiss either—just in case. Do not make costumes with horns. Do not make ones with angel wings either. Do not put fake beards on women—God forbid they accuse you of “promoting gender transition.”

Naturally, not everyone likes this. Cosplay is a hobby that brings together free-spirited, creative, and usually fairly young people. But they all agree on one thing: when you do not know where trouble will come from, you will write even stranger rules. Anything at all, as long as other people in uniform do not burst in—this time with real rather than toy weapons.

Read about what else cosplayers are banned from doing in modern Russia, and whether there are cosplayers in the “SVO zone,” in Vyorstka’s piece (with VPN):

Does the link not work? Read here.

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Vyorstka

Military uniforms, horns, and “sexual deviations”: what is banned at cosplay festivals in 2026

Festivals across Russia are introducing restrictions to avoid fines and inspections