Who is Alexandra Kuzyk? Russian photographer sentenced to labour camp for writing gay K-pop fanfiction

The case has drawn attention amid Russia’s widening crackdown on LGBTQ+ content following legislation in 2023

A Russian court has sentenced photographer Alexandra Kuzyk to 18 months in a labour camp after convicting her of producing what authorities described as “illegal pornography” linked to gay fanfiction based on the K-pop boy band Stray Kids.

According to state-affiliated publication Komsomolskaya Pravda-Yekaterinburg, the case centred on same-sex fanfiction stories involving members of the group.

Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that the material was shared through the messaging platform Telegram.

The investigation reportedly began last year after a woman contacted police claiming she had discovered Kuzyk’s fanfiction on her daughter’s device.

According to reports cited by The Mirror, screenshots of the stories were later sent to Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media.

Police subsequently raided Kuzyk’s home and seized electronic devices and books, including laptops, smartphones, CDs and an iPad.

During court proceedings, Kuzyk reportedly admitted guilt and stated that the stories had not generated any income. Novaya Gazeta reported that prosecutors had initially sought a four-year prison sentence before the court imposed 18 months of labour instead.

In addition to the labour sentence, 10% of Kuzyk’s wages will reportedly be withheld by the state.

The case has drawn attention amid Russia’s widening crackdown on LGBTQ+ content following the expansion of the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda legislation in 2023. The law classified the LGBTQ+ movement as extremist and increased restrictions surrounding queer representation across media and online platforms.

Russian authorities have also taken action against other forms of entertainment linked to LGBTQ+ themes. In 2025, according to Mediazona, a Russian court fined MangaLIB more than 14 million rubles for alleged propaganda violations connected to manga publications.

Judge Alexandra Anokhina reportedly described some manga content as a “cultural threat to national security”, with additional fines issued against individual titles.