# Russian libraries remove Alexander Pelevin’s ‘Pokrov-17’ over Galina Yuzefovich quote after her foreign agent designation

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/russian-libraries-remove-alexander-pelevins-pokrov-17-over-galina-yuzefovich-quote-after-her-foreign-agent-designation/
- Published: 2026-11-10T20:49:27+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T21:25:55+00:00
- Original publisher: Meduza
- Original article: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/11/10/russian-libraries-remove-alexander-pelevin-s-pokrov-17-over-galina-yuzefovich-quote-after-her-foreign-agent-designation
- Topics: Entertainment, Europe, TV, World

## Key points

- Libraries have moved “Pokrov-17” off open shelves.
- The cover quotes critic Galina Yuzefovich.
- Readers can still request the book.

## Summary

Libraries in Moscow and the Arkhangelsk and Leningrad regions have moved Alexander Pelevin’s novel “Pokrov-17” off open shelves after literary critic Galina Yuzefovich was designated a “foreign agent” by Russia’s Justice Ministry. The book remains available on request, but the decision shows how that designation can affect access to works that include a designated person’s words.

The 2021 edition, published by Gorodets, carries a Yuzefovich quote from a 2019 review of a different Pelevin novel. A Moscow library employee said staff check several official lists weekly, including the foreign agents register, while a St Petersburg library said it does not conduct such checks; practices vary between libraries.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.