Grigorii Chkhartishvili (Boris Akunin)

Japanologist Grigory Chkhartishvili, who writes detective novels and other works of fiction under the pen name Boris Akunin. In mid-December 2023, pro-Kremlin pranksters Vovan and Lexus published a recording of a conversation with him: they had contacted the writer while posing as representatives of the Ukrainian administration. In this video, Akunin “expressed understanding for Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes on Russian territory” and “pointed out that he had organised fundraising to help Ukraine,” Dozhd YouTube channel reported. After this, the publishing house AST announced it would stop publishing his books. On 18 December, it became known that a criminal case had been opened against Akunin for "fake news" about the army and for publicly justifying terrorism.

On 19 December, investigators carried out a search at "Zakharov" Publishing, which releases Akunin’s books. The head of the publishing house linked the search to the fact that "Zakharov" was the only publisher that had not announced the termination of cooperation with Akunin and had not withdrawn his books from sale.

In June 2025, a case against Akunin was brought to the court on charges of publicly justifying terrorism, facilitating terrorist activity (apparently referring to his statements that allegedly justified the violent overthrow of the constitutional order), and evading the obligations of a “foreign agent.” On 14 July 2025, Akunin was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in a penal colony in this case.

In October 2025, the prosecutor’s office approved an indictment in a new criminal case against Akunin for evading the obligations of a “foreign agent.”

On 3 December, the court issued a verdict in yet another case of evading “foreign-agent” requirements and sentenced Akunin to 15 years in a penal colony, to be served consecutively with the punishment from the previous case.