A Kommersant reporter toured the restricted collection at the Russian State Library (RSL), which has been operating for over a year. According to the administration, access is available to security service employees and to 'researchers of nationalism,' who must pass a separate interview at the library.
The vault holds about 20,000 books, nearly all in Ukrainian. It is divided into five sections: 'Ideology of the ruling Ukrainian elite,' 'Ukrainian nationalism,' 'Foreign authors' views on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict,' 'Politicized children's literature,' and 'Books by contemporary Ukrainian nationalists.'
Among the 'destructive' publications are a three-volume set by Lucy and Stephen Hawking about the adventures of a boy named George, and a biography of Winston Churchill by Martin Gilbert. Both books are freely sold in Russia in Russian. The RSL explained this by the quality of translation: according to chief librarian Natalia Ermakova, the Ukrainian version may contain 'a completely different meaning and a different subtext.' She did not specify which fragments were deemed destructive.
The vault also contains Katie O'Neill's comic 'Princess Princess Ever After' about the relationship between two princesses. RSL Director Vadim Duda described it as a story where the heroines 'developed feelings leading them to marriage,' as reported by TV Rain.
Books for the vault are selected by an expert council created in 2024. Its members study the collections of Ukrainian libraries and remove publications in which they find 'signs of nationalism, Russophobia, or the ideology of Nazism.' During selection, attention is paid to individual words: a publication may be deemed destructive if it calls Russia 'Moscovia' and Russians 'Bolsheviks.' The RSL did not say what happens to the remaining copies of the seized books.
The vault's interior is decorated with quotes from Putin and Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin, as well as a 'Korsar MZ' bulletproof vest and Ukrainian military dog tags. Duda noted that when creating the vault, the library decided to preserve such books for studying the 'history of Russophobia,' despite hearing calls to 'burn and throw them away.' When asked about expanding the vault, he replied: 'I will share my dream with you — I would like it to never be replenished again.'