Elena Malisova
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Writer Elena Malisova co-authored the historical young adult novel Summer in the Red Scarf with Katerina Silvanova. The book tells the story of a romance between two boys at a Soviet summer camp. It was published in 2021 by Popcorn Books. The book caused controversy in Russia due to its LGBT themes. Malisova and Silvanova were both forced to leave the country in late 2022 due to threats from the authorities. After their exile, Russian authorities continued to target her publisher with “LGBT extremism” charges. Popcorn Books shut down in 2026. Later in the year, the larger publishing house that Popcorn belonged to was raided and its CEO was detained in connection with accusations of “distributing LGBT propaganda to minors.”