The case began nearly a year ago when a local woman reported Kuzyk to law enforcement after finding the story on her underage daughter's device. The work in question was a fanfiction story depicting a same-sex relationship between members of the popular South Korean boy band, Stray Kids. Kuzyk had posted the story in 2022.
During the proceedings, prosecutors pushed for a four-year prison sentence. Kuzyk, who pleaded guilty, told the court that writing fanfiction was simply a long-time hobby. The court's final sentence mandates 18 months of compulsory labour, with the state withholding 10% of her earnings during that period.
A Broadening Crackdown
This verdict is a stark example of the intensifying suppression of LGBTQ+ rights and expression under Russian law. It follows the significant expansion of the country's notorious "gay propaganda" law in 2022, which now criminalizes virtually any public depiction of same-sex relationships that isn't explicitly negative.
Since the law was broadened, Russian authorities have systematically targeted online platforms that host creative content. Websites for amateur fiction have been blocked, and in a high-profile case in 2025, the major Russian-language manga platform MangaLIB was hit with a fine equivalent to €160,000 for hosting content deemed "LGBT propaganda."
The sentencing of an individual creator to forced labour, however, marks a significant escalation. It sends a clear message that not only platforms but also individual artists and writers are being targeted, turning a common form of online creative expression into a criminal offense. For many in the LGBTQ+ community worldwide, fanfiction has long been a space to safely explore identity and relationships—a space that is now under direct and severe threat in Russia.
