ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) -In a bookstore in the Russian city of St Petersburg, employees are painstakingly cutting out labels, placing them on the covers of books and sealing the volumes in clear plastic wrapping.

The wording on each slip of paper reads: “THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) HAS BEEN PRODUCED BY A FOREIGN AGENT OR CONCERNS THE ACTIVITY OF A FOREIGN AGENT.”

Under a law that came into force on September 1, people who have been designated by Russia as foreign agents are banned from educational activity or producing “information products for minors” – a broad wording that could potentially apply to books, although books by “agents” are not banned outright.

Many well-known writers, including novelist Dmitry Glukhovsky, have been placed on Russia’s foreign agent list, which includes hu

See Full Page