The SBU and State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting Restricted Access to Three Bookstores Selling Banned Russian Products

In Ukraine, access to three online bookstores Hbrstore, BookShop, and Akonit has been restricted. They were selling prohibited publishing products from Russian publishers, and their owners concealed information about their legal status and location, the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine reported.

During monitoring, the agency found books from Russian publishers Eksmo, AST, and MIF on the sites, associated with a Russian citizen who is subject to Ukrainian sanctions. The person is Oleg Novikov, a Russian entrepreneur and owner of the Eksmo-AST publishing group.

The stores also offered books published in Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion and, presumably, illegally imported into Ukraine.

According to the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, the store administrations ignored official warnings demanding the removal of the prohibited publications from sale.

Following joint work by the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Electronic Communication Networks, a decision was made to restrict access to the three sites.

Access to them can be restored only after the end of martial law, provided that the owners are legalized and the stores’ activities are brought into compliance with Ukrainian law.

In total, since July 2025 year, at the initiative of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting and with the assistance of the SBU, Ukrainian book online stores distributing products from Russia and Belarus have been blocked 52, released after the start of the full-scale invasion.