Russian Anime Site Shikimori Owner Charged with "LGBT Propaganda"

A magistrate court in Moscow has registered an administrative protocol for “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” on the internet against 26-year-old Vladislav Gusev, the owner of the online anime and manga encyclopedia Shikimori. The information was discovered in the court records by the media outlet Mediazona.

In correspondence with journalists, Gusev confirmed that the protocol had been drawn up. According to him, the claims were initiated by Roskomnadzor (Russia’s media censor). It has not yet been specified what exact content led to the case. The court hearing is scheduled for August 10, 2026.

In January 2026, Roskomnadzor already blocked the main domain of the Shikimori website in Russia. At that time, the agency accused the resource of distributing materials containing LGBT propaganda and content that the authorities equated to child pornography. This is not the first case of anime resources being blocked in Russia on similar charges — earlier, the sites Mangalib and MyAnimeList were restricted.