Since its inception in 2023, StraightForward Foundation has worked to keep uncensored Russian-language literature alive and helped it to be translated into other languages. We did that by supporting authors, teaching, translating and organizing events for those who can no longer do this work safely inside Russia. 10 books were published with our support.
Underground literature has always played a major role in resisting totalitarian regimes — the USSR was no exception. Think of the long-lasting impact of Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago or Zamyatin’s We, and how they still shape the conversation about the nature of the regime today, decades later. The Russian Federation is no exception either.
The era of carbon paper and typewritten copies is over. More than that — in today’s hyperconnected world, information needs to travel in every direction at once, reaching people behind the new Iron Curtain, those who’ve emigrated, and curious foreigners trying to make sense of what’s happening in the biggest country in the world. But to do that, it has to be credible, powerfully told, sharply packaged, and published at the right moment.
This is exactly the expertise the StraightForward team brings — the people behind some of the best Russian-language nonfiction of the past decade.
bestselling titles published in Russian, 9 still in production
languages into which StraightForward books have been translated
publishing houses around the world partnering with our mission
reads on average for freely distributed books
people reached with our open calls for new books on forbidden topics
events around our books across 12 countries
applications over 3 open calls
fellows supported
In an environment where censorship erases inconvenient facts and controls the public narrative, nonfiction books preserve ideas and evidence that might otherwise disappear. StraightForward stands for documenting real history, as opposed to the Kremlin’s attempts to rewrite it in its favour, and challenges official narratives.
We give good journalism a life beyond the news cycle. Unlike fleeting headlines, books cross borders, reach new readers years later, and remain available and stable when political circumstances change. They ensure that truthful accounts survive censorship and continue to inform public debate.
StraightForward helps launch writing careers for people whose expertise was built outside of traditional publishing — journalists, researchers, lawyers, activists, artists and professionals who have never written a book before. We provide editorial guidance, financial support and an international publishing network, turning first-time authors into long-term nonfiction writers.
In exile and during political crises, this creates not only books but also a sustainable profession and a new source of resilience for voices forced out of Russia. With our help, they become recognized members of the international expert community on Russia, which strengthens international ties.
In June 2026, Russian authorities designated StraightForward an “undesirable organization.” We continue our work without interruption. This designation is not a deterrent — it is confirmation of why independent, uncensored Russian-language publishing matters now more than ever. If books are banned, it means someone is afraid of them.
As independent journalism is dismantled and access to information from Russia shrinks, firsthand testimony becomes increasingly rare and valuable. StraightForward publishes deeply reported nonfiction that preserves evidence, personal experience and historical memory before they can be erased by censorship. These books become trusted records of contemporary Russia, making reliable knowledge available to readers, researchers and policymakers.
It matters even more now that Russian state universities are closing to international academic exchange — and the closure runs in both directions. On 23 July 2026, the U.S. Department of War published its updated Section 1286 list of foreign institutions engaged in problematic activities: 130 academic and research organizations in China, Russia and Iran, including leading Russian universities such as Moscow State University and the Higher School of Economics. U.S. researchers and institutions are advised to exercise strict caution before any collaboration, funding or data exchange with them.
The practical consequence is a widening gap in Western expertise on Russia. The institutions that used to supply data and scholarly contact are now off limits. Someone outside Russia has to collect, verify and publish what is being written about the country — sociological data, economic analysis, political thought, testimony.
Our work was supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FDLV, Friedrich Naumann Stiftung and Dialogbüro Vienna. In 2026 we were included in the list of the five world’s most prominent Freedom of Expression Defenders by the International Publishers Association.
.svg)
As long as there are people who support these books, censorship fails to erase them. You can support StraightForward too.