Blender, games, and atlas: unusual books in Kirov received labeling about drugs

      In the Kirov bookstore, some publications have begun to feature warnings about the content mentioning drugs. At first glance, the selection of books raises questions: among them are publications that are hard to suspect of discussing prohibited substances.

      For instance, the corresponding label appeared on "The Complete Guide to Blender 3D" (12+), which discusses the program for creating three-dimensional graphics. The book covers the basic capabilities of the editor: layout, sculpting, model creation and unwrapping, and other tools of the program.

      The warning was also noticed on "The Illustrated Atlas of Geographic Discoveries" (12+) and the book "The Rise and Fall of Sierra On-Line" (12+), dedicated to one of the first companies in computer game production.

      Why books started to be labeled

      Since March 1, 2026, new requirements have been in effect in Russia for works that mention narcotic substances. If such a mention is justified by the genre and is part of the artistic intent, the book must receive a special warning.

      A sign in the form of an equilateral triangle with an exclamation mark and corresponding text is placed on the cover. For books printed before September 1, 2025, the use of a sticker is allowed.

      Moreover, this applies not only to fiction. Thousands of various publications have been included in the list.

      Due to the new requirements, some publishers are temporarily withdrawing books from sale to conduct an examination. AST has suspended the sale of several works by Denis Dragunsky, Alexey Salnikov, and Vladimir Sorokin. "Eksmo" has also temporarily halted sales of Dina Rubina's book "Designer Zhorka. Book Two. Silver Mine" (18+).

      Participants in the book market note the blurred boundaries of the new requirements. It is not always clear which specific mention should be the basis for labeling and which should not.

      Warnings also apply to e-books and audio versions. In such cases, the sign is placed in the product card or shown to the user as a separate message.

      Violations of the requirements are subject to fines. For individuals, they range from 2,000 to 4,000 rubles, for officials and individual entrepreneurs — from 10,000 to 30,000 rubles, and for legal entities — from 300,000 to 600,000 rubles with possible confiscation of products.