The co-author of “Summer in a Pioneer Tie” has been fined for “LGBT propaganda” over posts on Telegram.

A magistrate in Moscow has fined the co-author of the book “Summer in a Pioneer Tie,” Katerina Silvanova, 200,000 rubles (approx. US$2,200) in a case concerning so-called “LGBT propaganda” (part 4 of article 6.21 of the Administrative Offences Code). This was reported by Mediazona, after reviewing the court decision, and the Ostorozhno, Novosti (“Caution, News”) project.

The reason for the fine was three posts in the Telegram channel “Investigation Led by Gerda,” which Silvanova runs together with the other co-author of the book, Elena Malysova. In one post, the writers congratulated their subscribers on 14 February and published an image featuring the main characters of “Summer in a Pioneer Tie,” Yura and Volodya. The court decided that this post “informs men of the importance of having a male partner.”

The other two posts were devoted to the “Rainbow Quill” project, which brings together authors of queer literature, and the release of new ebooks in the “Summer” trilogy. In the latter case, the court saw the information as “arousing interest in non-traditional sexual relationships.” The decision also states that the posts were not marked “18+.”

• In February 2023, the Ministry of Justice added Silvanova and Malysova to the register of “foreign agents.”
• “Summer in a Pioneer Tie” was also referenced in a criminal case against staff at the publishing houses Popcorn Books and Individuum for “organising the activities of an ‘extremist’ LGBT movement.” In August 2026, the former director of Popcorn Books, Dmitry Protopopov, was given a four-year suspended sentence. Former publishing staff Pavel Ivanov and Artyom Vakhlyaev had previously received the same sentence.