Russia’s national library has a ‘closed repository of destructive literature.’ It includes Stephen Hawking and a Churchill biography — and is decorated with Ukrainian dog tags and a Putin quote.
The Russian State Library (RSL, also known as the Lenin Library) has for several months been running a “closed repository for destructive literature.” Only intelligence service employees and scholars can get in. Scholars, however, have to pass a separate interview with the RSL to gain access. Kommersant toured the storage facility. Here’s what stood out.
The Russian State Library, also known as the Lenin Library, has been hosting a "closed repository for destructive literature" for several months. Access to this repository is restricted to intelligence service employees and scholars who must pass a separate interview to gain entry. The library's storage facility is divided into five sections, each focusing on a different aspect of what the library deems "destructive literature."
Among the Ukrainian-language books displayed are works by Stephen Hawking and Martin Gilbert, both freely sold in Russian translation in Russia. The repository is also adorned with a quote from Russian President Vladimir Putin and another from Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin, both critical of Ukraine's treatment of its history and its schools.
The library's decor includes a Korsar MZ bulletproof vest and dog tags from Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.
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