In Russia, there are calls to restrict the distribution of foreign films to protect the domestic market

Alexander Zharov, CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding, stated that quotas on foreign films are necessary in order to select only the best films for distribution and weed out allegedly mediocre ones. 

According to the media executive, such a move would free up screen time for Russian films, support the domestic film industry, and help protect the domestic market from foreign productions. 

Earlier, director Nikita Mikhalkov had put forward a similar initiative regarding quotas and the introduction of a five-million-ruble entry fee for the release of each foreign film; he also proposed allocating 10% of the box office revenue from Western films to fund national cinema. Following his appeal in March 2026, Vladimir Putin instructed the Russian Ministry of Culture to expedite the adoption of a corresponding decision. These restrictions are being introduced against the backdrop of Hollywood studios officially withdrawing from the Russian market following the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine, and revenue from pirated releases as part of “pre-screening services” reached 7.7 billion rubles from March 2022 to May 2026.

The Moscow Times reported this, citing an interview with Zharov by the propaganda agency TASS.

The Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation has officially approved an updated list of literature for mandatory summer reading, adding propaganda works about the so-called “heroes of the special military operation.” 

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian book industry has undergone radical transformations, turning into a platform for overt state censorship.