LRT finds sanctioned author’s books in Vilnius bookstore

Books by authors listed under European Union sanctions were still available at a Russian-language bookstore in Vilnius, despite the company’s director saying the store no longer carried them, LRT reported. Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said that an author’s inclusion on the sanctions list does not automatically make their books prohibited goods.

The bookstore, called Knygų pasaulis, is located on Geležinkelio Street in Vilnius. It has previously faced controversy over its stock, which has included works by Russian propagandists, items featuring symbols of aggression and atlases depicting eastern Ukraine as part of Russia.

Books by sanctioned authors found

An LRT reader contacted the broadcaster after noticing books by authors included on the EU sanctions list. The reader said the shelves contained works by Aleksandr Prokhanov, Zakhar Prilepin, Ivan Okhlobystin, Yuri Polyakov, Eduard Limonov, priest Andrei Tkachev and psychiatrist Andrei Kurpatov. The reader also provided photographs.

The reader described the authors as prominent Russian figures who openly hold Russian nationalist and imperialist views and are integrated into the ideological system of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s administration, with the exception of Limonov, who has died.

Prilepin and Okhlobystin are included on the EU sanctions list against Russia. Prilepin is a writer and publicist with a military rank who fought during Russia’s occupation of Donbas in Ukraine and actively supports Russia’s war against Ukraine. In his online autobiography, he says he hopes to return to Kyiv one day because it is a Russian city.

Okhlobystin is an actor and director who takes part in regime events and attends events in occupied Ukrainian territories.

Bookstore denies selling sanctioned works

Robert Gasinskis, head of UAB Grifnus, the company that operates the bookstore, told LRT that the store no longer had books by sanctioned authors. He said the issue was being raised to incite hostility.

Gasinskis linked the matter to comedian Oleg Shurayev, who had previously drawn attention to the bookstore’s stock, and asked LRT to pass on his regards. LRT noted that it had not spoken to Shurayev about the books.

Although Gasinskis ended the call before answering further questions, he invited LRT to visit the bookstore and check that the books were not there. Shortly afterwards, an LRT journalist visited the store and easily found books by Okhlobystin.

Foreign Ministry explains sanctions rules

The Foreign Ministry told LRT that books by sanctioned authors may still be sold because the author’s inclusion on the EU sanctions list does not, by itself, mean that the book is a prohibited product or that its sale in the EU is automatically banned.

The ministry said it was important to distinguish between the book itself and any possible economic benefit to the sanctioned person. Under EU sanctions regulations, it is prohibited to directly or indirectly provide funds or economic resources to sanctioned individuals.