A large portion of Russians surveyed by the Russian sociological agency VTsIOM supported the decision by bookstores to stop selling Boris Akunin’s works, due to his statements in support of Ukraine and its armed forces. The telephone poll included 1,600 participants and was reported on VTsIOM’s website. (source attribution: VTsIOM survey data)
The research found that about 23 percent of Russians had read Akunin’s books and the same share had watched film adaptations based on his works. A majority, 57 percent, said they were not familiar with Akunin’s writings. Among those who had read or heard of the author, 34 percent knew about his support for Ukraine and donations to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 26 percent had heard some information, and 40 percent did not know anything about the topic.
The rejection of Akunin’s works by bookstores and the refusal of publishing houses to print them were supported by 69 percent of respondents, with 11 percent deeming such actions as quite wrong and an additional 8 percent seeing them as completely wrong. (survey interpretation: public opinion on cultural boycotts)
In December 2023, Akunin participated in a prank call that involved impersonating the Ukrainian President, Vladimir Zelensky. During the exchange, he stated that missile attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Crimea were justified. (event recap: media coverage of the prank)
On January 12, the Ministry of Justice classified Akunin as a foreign agent. (legal designation and its timeline)
Earlier, at the Alexandrinsky Theater, a production adapted from Akunin’s work “1881” was canceled. (cultural and artistic impact details)