75 hours erased

Jaime Lannister of Game of Thrones hated children—so much that he pushed Bran Stark out of a tower for no reason at all. Cersei Lannister bore all her children to King Robert Baratheon, not to her brother Jaime. That made Joffrey I the rightful king, as was Tommen I, who, as a matter of fact, never even thought of taking his own life.

The Soprano family had Vito Spatafore killed for no reason. Christopher Moltisanti, from the same show, was never addicted to heroin.

David Fisher of Six Feet Under is a lonely man: no wife, no child, and nothing but freindship with police officer Keith Charles. Chuck Rhoades of Billions is a model family man who havs never heard the word “BDSM.” And David Duchovny never appeared in Twin Peaks.

Archbishop Kurtwell of The Young Pope had a perfectly ordinary childhood, untouched by any tragedy—the proclivities that Jude Law’s character spends the whole series exposing simply came out of nowhere.

If you know these popular shows, you can see that everything above is nonsense.

Jaime and Cersei are not just brother and sister but lovers, and their relationship and its consequences are the starting point for the entire conflict in Game of Thrones. Vito Spatafore in The Sopranos is gay, and that is exactly why the mobsters kill him. And a good third of Six Feet Under is devoted to the love story between David Fisher and police officer Keith Charles.

Yet these are the cutdown versions Amediateka subcribers get to see. The service not only commissions translations and dubbing of popular series but also adapts them to “traditional values.”

We found signs of re-editing in 368 of the 462 titles available on Amediateka. Censorship we could verify beyond doubt appears in 200 series, adding up to 75 hours of cut content. That figure includes not only the total length of deleted fragments (about 57 hours) but also the running time of whole episodes or entire series—where we could confirm that they were removed because of forbidden content rather than expired rights (more on this below).

To arrive at this figure, we compared the series on Amediateka with the originals in several stages. First, we measured the simple difference in running time, accounting for the different frame rates used in the U.S. and in Europe and Russia. Then we compared the Russian version with the original frame by frame, using an algorithm we built.

We reviewed the deleted frames manually, both to understand why they were cut and to rule out technical removals (opening and closing credits, deleted bonus content, and so on).

While working on the project, we noticed that in 2026 Amediateka began overstating the running time of censored episodes. On a series’ main page, episode lengths match the original; the actual length can be seen only by opening each episode in the player.

This is either a technical glitch or an attempt to hide large-scale re-editing and cuts. The inflated running times affect 50 series, accounting for a 50-hour difference.

In total, our algorithm found 11,700 cut fragments longer than three seconds (a threshold set by the sensitivity of our algorithm). We reviewed 9,500 of them manually: 7,300 were censorship on various topics, 1,900 were technical differences in editing, and another 234 were errors by the algorithm

More on how we collected and processed the data below.

Our method, in detail

Above, we outlined the main steps of the research: finding differences in running time, comparing frames with an algorithm, and reviewing the cut frames by hand.

The first step is to look at running time. If the Russian version is shorter, something has been cut from it. Verstka used this approach in a similar investigation, but it did not account for the difference between US and European frame rates.

In the US, most series are distributed at 23.976 frames per second, while in Europe and Russia the standard is 25. The difference dates back to last century’s television standards and has carried over into today’s streaming services. As a result, the same episode, with no editing changes at all, runs slightly shorter in its European version than in the American one. For a single episode the difference is small, but over dozens of hours of video it adds up. The original running time of all of Game of Thrones, for example, is 69 hours and 46 minutes. Converted from 23.976 to 25 frames per second, it comes to about 66 hours and 58 minutes—almost three hours less.

Verstka’s estimate from two years ago, according to which Russian censors had cut almost four hours from Game of Thrones, is therefore wrong: at the time, only 37 minutes had been removed from the series (the amount of censorship has since grown to 61 minutes; more on that below).

After the conversion, many episodes of the Russian version matched the originals exactly in length. But even where a difference remained after conversion, it was not always due to censorship.

If you convert and compare the running times of the AMC series Mayfair Witches on Amediateka and Amazon, for example, each episode turns out to differ by about nine minutes. But the Russian version simply lacks the interviews with the creators and the behind-the-scenes footage that Amazon carries. The actual censorship in the series amounts to less than a minute.

In some cases, the Russian version lacked recaps of previous episodes or previews of upcoming ones, translated credits in various languages, bonus material, or the logos of other international distributors. We classed all of this as technical differences unrelated to censorship and excluded it from our count.

In some series, the recaps of previous episodes remain in the Russian version but are censored too, if they include fragments that were cut from earlier episodes.

Data collection

Downloading the Russian versions of the series is quite tricky; browsers, for example, have built-in anti-piracy protection. But we found a workaround: when you hover over the timeline in Amediateka’s player, a small preview of that moment appears as a still frame. A 360-pixel-wide frame exists for every two seconds of an episode and is available via a direct link stored in the series’ metadata.

We downloded these images for every series in the catalog. We also downloaded the other available metadata: episode lengths, descriptions, genre lists and cover images. In total, we processed 7,913 episodes of 415 series this way.

For 47 series, we managed to download only the metadata, because they were pulled from the service before we began collecting frames.

We downloaded the originals from HBO’s catalog (114 series) the same way, using the player previews; there, we got one frame for every four seconds. Originals not available on HBO were downloaded from other catalogs and sources.

How the algorithm works

To find censored fragments, we downscaled every frame of the Amediateka version and every frame of the original and compared them with each other using the SSIM method with the scikit-image library.

The result of the comparison can be shown as a matrix: each column corresponds to a frame of the original, each row to a frame of the Russian version. Each cell holds the degree of similarity between the two frames: the darker the cell, the more alike they are.

First, the matrix shows many square gray and black blocks. This is how the algorithm sees repetitive scenes in which different frames look alike: static shots, recurring cutaways or scenes in the dark. They are square because they last the same amount of time in both the original and the Amediateka version.

Second, the main dark diagonal line running from the top left corner to the bottom right is clearly visible. Identical frames lie along this line. For two fully matching versions of the same episode, the diagonal should run unbroken from one corner to the other. If there is a break in the line, some frames are missing from one of the versions.

Small gaps of a few frames can be explained by fast-moving scenes, since we do not have every frame to compare. But long horizontal gaps are scenes from the original that found no “match” in the Amediateka version.

The task then came down to finding breaks along this diagonal. To solve it, we used a modified version of Dijkstra’s algorithm, a shortest-path algorithm. Our path started in the top left corner and could move either diagonally down and to the right, at a lower penalty, or straight to the right, at a higher one.

If the path moved horizontally to the right for more than a couple of frames, it meant we had found a set of frames missing from Amediateka. The algorithm recorded the timecodes of these scenes in the original so that we could view the frames and decide whether they had been censored.

The algorithm is designed specifically to find scenes cut from a work, where the distributor’s version is shorter than the original. We also accounted for cases where the Amediateka version has some extra running time at the beginning or end (a logo or credits).

It remains possible, however, that some episodes contain extra scenes somewhere in the middle, or that an episode was entirely re-edited. We added a metric to the algorithm to detect cases where cut fragments had been replaced with additional content and the episode’s running time stayed the same—but we never encountered such a case during the research.

Unfortunately, some kinds of censorship are beyond our algorithm’s reach: censorship in the audio tracks (for example, distorting the original meaning) and blurring of individual objects or signs while the frame itself stays in place.

Manual tagging

After the algorithm had run, we knew exactly which frames had been cut and where, but not why.

As noted above, segments shorter than three seconds were left out of the dataset: including them would have roughly doubled the number of fragments, and the algorithm is far more likely to make mistakes on such short segments. These short fragments account for only about six hours, or roughly 6%, of the total running time of potential censorship.

The results of our tagging are presented as players showing the cut fragments for each series. In the text, they are grouped into thematic sections; the full library is available at the end.

More than half of all censorship (44 hours) concerns LGBT-related topics. Banned content includes any hint of same-sex relationships, discussion of same-sex intercourse, transgender or nonbinary identities, and rainbow flags (sometimes just rainbow colors).

Political censorship comes second (12 hours). References to current events, to real or fictional facts from Russian or Soviet history, and mentions of Vladimir Putin or other historical figures are removed.

The third category (4 hours 41 minutes erased) can broadly be described as “taboo.” It covers references to incest (such as the relationship between Jaime and Cersei Lannister) as well as pedophilia and bestiality. About as much (4 hours 40 minutes) was cut from scenes involving drugs: sometimes not only illegal substances (heroin, marijuana and so on) but also perfectly legal medications.

Four hours of censorship involve heterosexual but “non-traditional” sex: fetishes or certain sexual practices. One hour involves suicide; censors cut not only ordinary suicides but also—quite peculiarly—scenes in which characters sacrifice themselves for others.

Other categories are less common: every mention of abortion and any doubts characters express about having children are removed (52 minutes), as are references to websites (40 minutes) and scenes showing “inappropriate” treatment of religion (occultism, Satanism, blasphemy—40 minutes). Other topics, we believe, are not censored systematically and are handled case by case: scenes involving explosives, alcohol, tobacco and gambling, as well as profanity and violence (including violence against children).

How and why series are censored

“Amediateka is the official home of projects from the world’s leading studios: HBO, Showtime, AMC, Paramount, Toho, Kadokawa, ITV and Warner Bros.

Here you’ll find the biggest hits of our time: [The Walking Dead](the_walking_dead), [Game of Thrones](game_of_thrones), [Dandadan](dandadan), [The Night Manager](the_night_manager), [Billions](billions), [Star Trek: Strange New Worlds](star_trek_strange_new_worlds) and thousands of other outstanding projects, all available with a single subscription in flawless HD quality.”

That is how Amediateka advertises its app in the App Store—without, of course, a word about the fact that four of the service’s six flagship series are heavily censored.

Amediateka is not the only Russian streaming service, nor even the largest, but it holds a unique position in the market precisely because it has the distribution rights to popular series from American studios. According to estimates by TelecomDaily, as of August 2026 the service held a third of the entire market in the “licensing and partnerships” segment and ranked first by revenue in that category.

Other major streaming services, such as Kinopoisk or Okko, show these series in Amediateka’s translation, through partnerships with the company.

Amediateka does not translate the series itself; it contracts partner studios to do so. The final say, however, rests with the distributor: it decides what to remove and what to keep.

According to an industry source who spoke to Mediazona, Amediateka sends its partner studios a document setting out translation requirements. It contains a list of forbidden topics and recommendations on how to soften or avoid particular words or situations altogether. The outlet Sotaproject published this manual in January 2026.

The recommendations closely match the categories of censorship we identified. They also show that its scale is much larger than what we can detect frame by frame, since many things are not cut outright but smoothed over in translation.

The recommendations state, for example, that references to oral sex (“ate her out / sucked him off”) should be translated as “kissed.” Lines saying that a character is gay must be softened to “he’s different.” Women in a same-sex relationship become just friends, and so do two men in a gay couple.

If a character says they grew up with same-sex parents, in the Russian version they have just one parent: “Only one person can be the parent; the other is an uncle/friend/aunt.”

Finally, any positive mention of drugs is forbidden, as are the phrases “I don’t want children / kids aren’t for me” and any discussion of abortion. For some reason, feminism is banned too: any positive mention of the movement must be cut.

In translation, dubbing and editing, references to the services of Meta, which Russia has designated an “extremist organization”, must also be removed (this means Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp get cut). Nor may there be any mention of Telegram, LinkedIn, Twitch, Skype, Apple, Google, IBM, Dow Jones, TikTok, Netflix, Amazon, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, CNN, Fox and other Western corporations.

According to the source, the same rules apply when working on series for television: “It seems to be some kind of general manual.”

Translators are asked not only to follow these rules in their work on the text but also to note the timecodes of potentially unacceptable footage. “On documentaries, for example, we’re asked to note where there’s alcohol in the frame, or where the good guys are drinking. That’s for whoever does the editing later,” the source explains.

All English-language projects are censored in one form or another. Turkish or Mexican series are easier: forbidden topics hardly ever come up in them. Amediateka reviews content that has already been translated, corrected and dubbed, and makes changes if it doesn’t like something.

Why Amediateka goes to such lengths to censor content is clear enough. Russia already bans “propaganda” of LGBT, “nontraditional relationships” and “child-free” lifestyles (and, on top of that, the “international LGBT movement” itself), the dissemination of information about drugs and the display of “extremist symbols” (such as Facebook’s logos). Rospotrebnadzor, Russian public health and consumer rights watchdog, and Roskomnadzor, Russia’s censorship agency, make sure that Russians can not see suicides or how to commit them (although historically their requirements have applied mainly to news media rather than to online streaming services).

By Mediazona’s count, Amediateka has faced legal action over its content at least six times: four times under Article 13.21 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (incorrect age ratings on “adult” material), and twice under the article on “propaganda of nontraditional relationships” (over the anime With You, Our Love Will Make It Through and the series Gentleman Jack).

Yet much of Amediateka’s censorship cannot be explained by repressive laws alone. It is not illegal, for example, to mention American media outlets and corporations, to show violence on screen or sex between two adults, to air programs about Soviet history, or to mention Vladimir Putin by name.

We tried many times to contact Amediateka for its position and a comment, but the company never speaks to the media on the subject. Its blog does not contain a single post about fines or about the heavy censorship of the content it translates. Kinopoisk, by contrast, which also complies with Roskomnadzor’s demands, covers repressive laws and the state of the industry.

The second thing we wanted to ask Amediateka was how it works with rights holders now that amid the war in Ukraine most foreign companies have left Russia, and how rights holders feel about this kind of interference with their content.

Back in May 2025, in response to a joint inquiry from Mediazona and the New York Times, HBO representatives said: “We do not currently have a licensing agreement to distribute our content in Russia.”

AMC representatives were more forthcoming. They declined to disclose the details of their contracts but confirmed that their partnership with Amediateka continues. On the censorship of their content, they said: “Broadcasters and platforms around the world often adapt content to local cultural sensibilities in order to bring it in line with local broadcast standards.”

LGBT: kisses, relationships and rainbows

This category is not only the largest but also the most varied. Censors cut not only sex scenes, displays of affection and discussions of relationships, but also symbols associated with the LGBT community, or even ones that vaguely resemble them.

First and foremost are the entire storylines removed from cult series of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The censoring of [Omar Little’s personal life](the_wire:s2e3r5) in The Wire was noticed long ago, and showrunner David Simon even reacted angrily. In total, though, Omar accounts for less than three minutes of censorship. The cut scenes about the personal life of detective Kima Greggs add up to five minutes. They include not only [sex](the_wire:s3e12r1), [kisses](the_wire:s1e10r2) and [arguments](the_wire:s2e6r1) but also a scene in which she [discusses having children](the_wire:s5e8r3) with her colleague Jimmy McNulty.

In [Six Feet Under](six_feet_under), almost three hours (170 minutes) of material connected in one way or another with LGBT themes were erased. The vast majority of these scenes (about 140 minutes) concern the personal life of one of the main characters, funeral home co-owner David Fisher, and his partner, police officer Keith Charles, from the [first](six_feet_under:s1e1r2) episode to the [last](six_feet_under:s5e12r13). Gone is the whole [complex arc of their relationship](six_feet_under:s3e3r0): [the fights](six_feet_under:s3e12r19), [the infidelity](six_feet_under:s3e12r7), the [reconciliations](six_feet_under:s3e10r15), [the attempts to have a child](six_feet_under:s5e2r5), [the adoption](six_feet_under:s4e10r6). So are [David’s conversations with spirits](six_feet_under:s1e12r6), his [coming out to a homophobic colleague](six_feet_under:s1e12r20) and even one [unusual religious experience](six_feet_under:s1e13r13).

About 25 minutes of footage featuring the key gay character [Stanford Blatch](sex_and_the_city:s1e9r0) were cut from [Sex and the City](sex_and_the_city). Several scenes involving him were also removed from [And Just Like That…](and_just_like_that:s1e2r1), the recent sequel of the show. However, the bulk of LGBT-related censorship (amounting to about an hour) concerns the relationship between [Miranda Hobbes and Che Diaz](and_just_like_that:s1e5r13). Another significant storyline involves Charlotte York’s child identifying as non-binary; specifically, a nine-minute scene depicting the [“they mitzvah,”](and_just_like_that:s1e10r8) a gender-neutral Jewish coming-of-age ceremony, was cut from the series.

Other notable LGBT characters whose storylines suffered include: [Vito Spatafore](the_sopranos:s6e10r18) in The Sopranos (whom fellow mobsters [killed](the_sopranos:s6e11r14) for being gay—a fact rendered completely unclear in the censored version), [Jules Vaughn and Rue Bennett](euphoria:s2e2r3) in Euphoria, [Lafayette Reynolds](true_blood:s1e8r1) in True Blood, and the cross-dressing hacker [Job](banshee:s1e1r0) in Banshee.

A key scene was removed from [Silicon Valley](silicon_valley): a conversation about [mass masturbation](silicon_valley:s1e8r1) that leads the protagonist, Richard Hendricks, to devise a revolutionary data compression algorithm. In [Why Women Kill](why_women_kill), the storyline involving the gay relationship of a main character, Karl Grove, was cut so meticulously that one of the climactic murders referenced in the show’s title vanished entirely: Karl’s wife, Simone, [administers a lethal dose of medication](why_women_kill:s1e10r53) to end the suffering caused by the AIDS he contracted from one of his partners. And Greta Strobe, a crucial character from the last two seasons, was completely cut from [A Million Little Things](a_million_little_things), even though she eventually [marries one of the main characters](a_million_little_things:s5e11r15), Katherine Kim.

Among documentary series, the coming-out stories of [soccer player Megan Rapinoe](the_shop_uninterrupted:s2e6r1) and [rapper Lil Nas X](the_shop_uninterrupted:s2e3r1)—which were cut from LeBron James’s talk show The Shop—are worth noting.

But even tiny scenes that play no role in the plot are subject to censorship. Rainbows are meticulously cut from a wide variety of series, even on a [Christmas tree ornament](ghosts:s2e9r2) or a [baseball cap](betty:s1e3r5). Often, these are simply [multicolored objects](ill_be_gone_in_the_dark:s1e2r9) or just [combinations of colors](animal_kingdom:s4e6r15) that might resemble LGBT symbols. The censors’ vigilance is clearly evident in the series State of the Union: a [kiss between a heterosexual couple](state_of_the_union:s2e10r3) was cut because a barely visible transgender symbol was hanging on the wall far in the background.

At the same time, censors also remove members of the LGBT community from series, even when their presence on screen has nothing to do with expressions of sexuality. For example, 3.5 hours of footage were cut from the news program [Axios](axios), a show Mediazona has previously reported on. We attributed nearly half of this runtime to LGBT censorship, primarily involving segments produced by transgender journalist Ina Fried, who covered topics such as [COVID-19](axios:s3e5r2), [a cashless world](axios:s2e7r2), [genome editing](axios:s3e17r1), and even [Lego](axios:s2e3r8).

Politics: Putin, Wagner PMC, and the Soviet past

This category ranks second in volume of censorship, primarily due to documentary series. Its scope is extremely broad, covering everything from the war in Ukraine and criticism of Vladimir Putin to unflattering portrayals of the USSR. It also includes any content involving references to ideologies.

The record-holder in this category is the documentary series [What on Earth?](what_on_earth), from which a full five hours of footage have been cut. Political topics account for 95% of these deletions.

Three forty-minute episodes were removed in their entirety: about [the incident at the Russian Navy’s Nyonoksa missile testing range](what_on_earth:s6e1r0), about [the abandoned Soviet prison and quarry in the Estonian settlement of Rummu](what_on_earth:s6e8r0), and about [Soviet bunkers in Poland](what_on_earth:s6e10r0). Other instances involved shorter segments on a variety of topics, such as [the crash of the Malaysian Boeing airliner](what_on_earth:s2e5r0), [the Wagner Group in Libya and Syria](what_on_earth:s8e6r7), [Soviet spies](what_on_earth:s5e8r4), [ISIS](what_on_earth:s5e8r4), [radiation in Lake Chagan](what_on_earth:s4e20r0), [the Soviet K-149 submarine](what_on_earth:s6e7r6), and even [Russian combat dolphins](what_on_earth:s6e3r6).

The proportions are similar in [Strange Evidence](strange_evidence): politics accounts for 90% of the 2.5 hours of censored material. The range of topics is also extremely broad, spanning everything from mysterious objects in the skies over [Donetsk](strange_evidence:s2e10r1) and [Omsk](strange_evidence:s3e5r8) to the [heating of the ionosphere by “Putin’s scientists”](strange_evidence:s6e4r2) and mundane [fuel theft in Russia](strange_evidence:s5e1r6). One episode was removed entirely; it introduced international viewers to [Russian criminal culture while also referencing Stalin](strange_evidence:s3e7r0).

For the arms-focused [Combat Dealers](combat_dealers) (nearly an hour of footage was cut from the show) almost all the censorship relates to Soviet history: segments on [the Winter War](combat_dealers:s2e2r2), [the Gulag](combat_dealers:s3e2r31), [crimes committed by Soviet soldiers in Germany](combat_dealers:s4e9r6) and an entire episode about [the Cold War and the Berlin Wall](combat_dealers:s4e8r0) all ended up censored.

In [Axios](axios), by contrast, political censorship is tied to current events: the series had segments cut featuring an [interview with Volodymyr Zelensky](axios:s4e1r0), [Mitt Romney railing against Vladimir Putin](axios:s2e5r2), accounts of [Kremlin ties to the Taliban](axios:s3e10r4), [Russian cyberattacks on the US](axios:s4e5r4), and other similar storylines.

Political themes are also censored in scripted series, though much more selectively. The most striking examples include the portrayal of [Putin as a villain](the_white_lotus:s1e2r2) in The White Lotus; references to [Soviet censorship and Stalin](succession) in Succession; [nesting dolls depicting Russian presidents](killing_eve:s3e8r5) in Killing Eve; a Georgian diplomat (Stephen Fry) [berating Russia](veep:s6e3r3) in Veep; and [Soviet occupiers firing at coffins](interview_with_the_vampire:s2e1r3) in Interview with the Vampire.

Drugs: from heroin to fictional substances

This category is notable for the fact that not only illicit substances but also pharmaceutical drugs and even fictional narcotics are being censored.

The situation with “traditional” drugs is more or less clear: [marijuana](gossip_girl:s2e3r4) (and [paraphernalia for its use](silicon_valley:s4e8r5)), [MDMA](girls:s5e1r8), [LSD](billions:s2e2r1), [cocaine](the_white_lotus:s1e6r2), [opium](the_walking_dead:s11e11r2), [amphetamines](the_sopranos:s1e3r8), [methamphetamine](flashpoint:s4e5r2), [heroin](twin_peaks:s2e3r7), [fentanyl](the_crime_of_the_century:s1e2r13), and so on—all of these are prohibited in Russia and their “propaganda” (which could basically be any mention) is banned.

At the same time, it is unclear why legal (albeit potent) medications are removed from series, e.g. [haloperidol](twin_peaks:s2e18r1), [oxycodone](the_crime_of_the_century:s1e1r9), [Rohypnol](gossip_girl:s2e7r7), [lorazepam and hydromorphone](the_sopranos:s6e5r2), as well as [Xanax](the_sopranos:s4e9r9) and various [antidepressants](the_sopranos:s6e18r13). In The Sopranos, even the mention of [Tylenol](the_sopranos:s4e12r3) was removed.

We identified two instances where fictional drugs were removed: [Kronole](snowpiercer:s1e2r11) from [Snowpiercer](snowpiercer) and a [substance made from walkers’ brainstems](fear_the_walking_dead:s3e14r10) in [Fear the Walking Dead](fear_the_walking_dead).

However, it is difficult to discern a consistent pattern. In some series, references to drugs are removed so thoroughly that it affects the overall narrative.

For instance, [The Sopranos](the_sopranos) had the entire storyline regarding [Christopher Moltisanti’s heroin addiction](the_sopranos:s4e1r1) cut out, while [Boardwalk Empire](boardwalk_empire) lost the plotline about [gangsters shifting from bootlegging to heroin trafficking](boardwalk_empire:s2e10r1). In [Twin Peaks](twin_peaks), where [drugs play a significant role](twin_peaks:s1e3r0) in the overarching plot, nearly 17 minutes of substance-related footage were removed. The first two seasons of [True Detective](true_detective) saw over [11 minutes](true_detective:s1e4r3) cut. It is also worth noting that [Rome](rome) had a scene depicting [cannabis](rome:s2e3r4) use in antiquity removed, while the animated series [Animals](animals) lost a scene in which [a worm describes his cocaine empire](animals:s2e9r0), with sales via Etsy and a custom set of emojis.

However, out of the entire run of [The Wire](the_wire), which focuses on the fight between Baltimore police and drug dealers, exactly one scene was cut that falls into this category. It lasts five seconds and shows a fictional website, streetdrugs.biz, on a computer screen; [Ziggy and Nick Sobotka are looking for information](the_wire:s2e5r0) on potassium permanganate. The site does exist in reality, but it appears to have been launched quite recently, roughly twenty years after the show’s premiere.

Taboo: incest, pedophilia, and bestiality

The largest amount of censorship in this category, which combines three topics, comes from the anime series [With You, Our Love Will Make It Through](with_you_our_love_will_make_it_through), which was completely removed after a court found signs of romanticising a “relationship between a human and a beast (or beast-human).” Another anime show, [Spy x Family](spy_x_family), is in second place: an entire episode was removed from Amediateka because a [first-grader falls in love with an adult](spy_x_family:s2e11r0).

Other than that, the title most affected by this type of censorship is the aforementioned [Game of Thrones](game_of_thrones). The romantic storyline involving Cersei and Jaime Lannister was scrubbed from the series; scenes featuring them account for 10 minutes of footage—one-sixth of the total runtime cut from the show.

The censorship begins with the scene where [Bran Stark catches the Lannisters having sex](game_of_thrones:s1e1r3), after which Jaime pushes him from the tower. Later on, dozens of scenes were cut: [sex](game_of_thrones:s4e3r7), [their conversations] (game_of_thrones:s5e2r2), as well as [discussions of their relationship](game_of_thrones:s2e2r6) and [children](game_of_thrones:s4e6r1) by other characters, including [jokes](game_of_thrones:s6e2r2). One of the most touching scenes in the entire series deserves a special mention: [Myrcella Baratheon recognises Jaime as her father](game_of_thrones:s5e10r4) before dying from poison.

A less high-profile example is the Ratliff brothers’ storyline in the third series of [The White Lotus](the_white_lotus): their [drunken kiss](the_white_lotus:s3e5r18) and several related [flashbacks](the_white_lotus:s3e6r1) . In [Boardwalk Empire](boardwalk_empire), the censors cut a scene of [drunken sex between Jimmy Darmody and his mother](boardwalk_empire:s2e11r3) — which was precisely why he dropped out of university and went off to fight in the First World War. Two scenes from [True Blood](true_blood) were cut, in which [Eric Northman](true_blood:s5e1r5) and [Nora Gainsborough](true_blood:s5e11r2) have sex — as they were turned by the same maker, in the world of vampires they are considered brother and sister.

The well-known story from [Game of Thrones](game_of_thrones) about the wildling Craster [“marrying his daughters”](game_of_thrones:s2e1r1) has also been removed. And from [Animals](animals), the story told by the ant queen about how she forced [a mother and her son to kiss](animals:s1e9r3) has been cut, as well as the description of this event from the [perspective of the mother](animals:s1e9r5).

Pedophilia is censored even more frequently than incest, and in a greater number of shows. The leader here is the documentary series [Allen v. Farrow](allen_v_farrow), which focuses on director Woody Allen’s alleged sexual abuse of his stepdaughter, Dylan Farrow: about [11 minutes](allen_v_farrow:s1e1r0) were cut from it. Paolo Sorrentino’s two-part series about the Vatican has also been heavily affected. One of the main plotlines of [The Young Pope](the_young_pope) is the confrontation between Pius XIII and the Archbishop of New York, Kurtwell, who is suspected of child sexual abuse. And although the allegations themselves remained intact, the censors removed [the climactic scene](the_young_pope:s1e10r8) of this entire storyline, in which Kurtwell recounts how he himself endured sexual abuse as a child and confesses to his crimes. Cardinal Bernardo Alonso Gutiérrez’s [harrowing account](the_new_pope:s1e2r7) of how, as a child, he was raped by a man who repeatedly told him that God did not exist has been cut from [The New Pope](the_new_pope).

There are other notable instances of similar censorship: [a discussion of child pornography](euphoria:s1e4r8) in Euphoria, [the sexual abuse of a police officer’s daughter](true_detective:s1e5r1) in True Detective, the [attempted rape of Carl Grimes](the_walking_dead:s4e16r0) in The Walking Dead, a retelling of the story of [Pierre Abélard and Heloise](the_sopranos:s5e6r7) in The Sopranos, as well as [an app for finding playgrounds](silicon_valley:s2e8r3), which can be used by pedophiles, in Silicon Valley.

Censorship relating to bestiality is significantly less common, and Mediazona has not been able to identify a single instance where it played a central role in the plot. However, a few particularly striking examples are still worth noting. The following were cut: a joke about [Catherine the Great and a horse](billions:1e2r3) and [a joke about “fucking a goat just once”](billions:s1e3r9) in Billions, as well as a threat by one of the khals that [Daenerys Targaryen would be raped by horses](game_of_thrones:s6e4r9) in Game of Thrones.

Sex (heterosexual, but “non-traditional”)

In this category, we’ve included all scenes involving heterosexual practices which, most likely, are seen as countering “traditional values” by the censors.

The most striking example is the series [‘Billions’](billions). One of the two main characters, Chuck Rhoades, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, is happily married, yet he and his wife practise BDSM–and not just with each other. This storyline could certainly be described as central to the plot.

Censorship begins from the very first seconds of the show: the first episode of the first season opens with a scene [of a dominatrix urinating on Rhoades](billions:s1e1r0). In total, around 45 minutes of BDSM scenes have been cut from [Billions](billions) (45% of all the censorship in the show).

We found many cuts of a similar nature, for example, in [Euphoria](euphoria) ([Kat Hernandez’s webcam career](euphoria:s1e6r0)), [Sex and the City](sex_and_the_city) ([the opening of a BDSM club](sex_and_the_city:s2e12r1)), [Killing Eve](killing_eve:s1e3r0) ([murder in a BDSM brothel](killing_eve:s1e3r0)), [The Sopranos](the_sopranos) ([a doctor practising BDSM in a brothel](the_sopranos:s1e11r0)), [Six Feet Under](six_feet_under) ([Brenda Chenowith’s BDSM experiments](six_feet_under:s4e4r7)) and even [Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics] (robert_kirkmans_secret_history_of_comics) (the side job of one of Superman’s creators, Joe Shuster was [drawing illustrations for BDSM almanacs](robert_kirkmans_secret_history_of_comics:s1e3r1)). However, in none of these series does BDSM play as significant a role in the overall plot as it does in [Billions](billions).

That being said, the censors are cutting out a wide variety of sexual practices: [oral](the_new_pope:s1e4r9) and [anal](interview_with_the_vampire:s1e1r3) sex, [swinging](ghosts:s2e6r4), [sex toys](animal_kingdom:s2e13r6), [Tantric sex](sex_and_the_city:s2e16r8), [sex on a swing](sex_and_the_city:s3e11r10), [bukkake](billions:s4e9r16), [coprophilia](billions:s7e8r6), [cuckold fetish](the_white_lotus:s3e7r1) and even [marital infidelity](yellowjackets:s2e1r14). We have also included instances where explicitly heterosexual pornography is subject to censorship in this category.

Suicides and acts of self-sacrifice

Just over an hour’s worth of censorship relates to suicides, with a significant proportion of these edits having been made to shows that had already been re-edited due to other prohibited topics (more on the waves of censorship below). In addition to scenes where characters take their own lives, discussions of suicide and its methods, failed attempts, characters’ pleas to be killed, and acts of self-sacrifice for the sake of others were also cut.

The latter is very common for [Fear the Walking Dead](fear_the_walking_dead). A total of 26 minutes has been cut from this show: this includes not only scenes where [characters](fear_the_walking_dead:s3e2r1) [commit](fear_the_walking_dead:s6e6r0) [suicide](fear_the_walking_dead:s7e10r0), but also plotlines in which characters who have been bitten by walkers [sacrifice themselves](fear_the_walking_dead:s4e15r3) to [save others](fear_the_walking_dead:s6e16r1). Furthermore, we found an example of censorship involving [zombie suicide](fear_the_walking_dead:s5e13r2).

[The Sopranos](the_sopranos) is in second place with 13.5 minutes. For example, the suicides of the corrupt police officer [Vin Makazian](the_sopranos:s1e11r8) and the gangster [Eugene Pontecorvo](the_sopranos:s6e1r6) were cut from the series. However, most of the censorship relates to the characters’ failed attempts at suicide and the subsequent discussions of these events: A.J. Soprano tries to [drown himself in the swimming pool](the_sopranos:s6e19r6), Meadow Soprano’s friend tries to [slit her wrists](the_sopranos:s1e9r1), Tony Soprano’s mistress, [Irina](the_sopranos:s2e12r10), and restaurateur [Artie Bucco](the_sopranos:s4e6r14) attempt to poison themselves with pills.

Several important storylines have suffered as a result of the censorship of suicide in [Game of Thrones](game_of_thrones). For example, scenes have been cut in which the young king [Tommen Baratheon walks out of a window](game_of_thrones:s6e10r6), shocked by the explosion of the sept and the death of his wife Margaery Tyrell, and where Stannis Baratheon’s wife [Selyse hangs herself from a tree](game_of_thrones:s5e10r2) following the sacrifice of her daughter. Scenes in which characters beg for death have also been removed: [Theon Greyjoy](game_of_thrones:s3e10r1), whilst being tortured by Ramsay Bolton, and [Sandor “The Hound” Clegane](game_of_thrones:s4e10r7), when, wounded, he is abandoned in the mountains by Arya Stark.

Also worth noting: [slit wrists](rome:s1e10r2) in [Rome](rome), several [robot suicides](westworld:s2e2r5) in [Westworld](westworld) and the climax of season 3 of [The White Lotus](the_white_lotus), in which Timothy Ratliff [prepares a lethal cocktail](the_white_lotus:s3e8r2) for himself and his family.

Reproductive rights: abortion and celibacy

This category is of particular interest because abortion, and discussions about it, are not yet prohibited in Russia. A bill banning the “promotion of abortion”—which would impose fines on legal entities as well as individuals—was debated in the Russian State Duma a year ago but has not yet been passed. There is Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which penalises, amongst other things, “propaganda encouraging the refusal to have children,” so it is possible that Amediateka’s lawyers decided to err on the side of caution and advised including abortion in this category as well.

A classic example of this “propaganda encouraging the refusal to have children” is [the Night’s Watch oath](game_of_thrones:s4e9r3) from [Game of Thrones](game_of_thrones): “I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children.” Even the scene discussing this vow has been cut, in which Samwell Tarly [explains to Jon Snow](game_of_thrones:s4e9r0) that sex with women is, in fact, permitted.

The vow of celibacy [made by Loras Tyrell](game_of_thrones:s6e10r3) under pressure from religious fanatics also falls into this category, as does Jaime Lannister’s statement that [he wants neither a wife nor children](game_of_thrones:s4e1r0).

However, most of the censorship in this category still relates to abortion itself. We have already written about several examples. First and foremost, the lengthy [theological debate](the_young_pope:s1e9r2) between Pius XIII and Cardinal Michael Spencer in [The Young Pope](the_young_pope) has been removed. Secondly, a scene was cut from [The Walking Dead](the_walking_dead) in which Lori Grimes asks for [abortion pills](the_walking_dead:s2e6r2) but ultimately decides to keep the baby. Thirdly, several episodes were removed from the documentary series [Axios](axios), including an [11-minute segment on abortion](axios:s3e15r2), most of which consists of interviews with critics of the practice.

Censorship also affected two classic HBO shows from the mid-2000s. From [The Sopranos](the_sopranos), a dialogue between the main character and a stripper who asks his advice on [whether she should have an abortion](the_sopranos:s3e6r6), was cut. And from [Six Feet Under] (six_feet_under), a three-minute scene was removed which showed in detail how [Claire Fisher has an abortion](six_feet_under:s3e12r5), as well as references to this event [in the following season](six_feet_under:s4e1r8).

A unique situation arose in [Shtisel](shtisel), a series about ultra-Orthodox Jews. Virtually all of its censorship (97%) relates to abortions. Overall, not that much has been cut, about 3.5 minutes. This includes one short [clip hinting at an LGBT relationship](shtisel:s3e6r4) and two full-length scenes: first, Giti Weiss [is applying for an abortion](shtisel:s1e12r0), and later she [signs all the necessary documents](shtisel:s1e12r1).

However, the censorship of reproductive rights does not end there. For instance, in [Girls](girls), [one of the characters’ account of her abortion](girls:s4e6r4) and several discussions about terminating a pregnancy were cut—as well as references to contraceptives, e.g. [the intrauterine device](girls:s5e1r5) and [a contraceptive sponge](girls:s5e5r2). Furthermore, in several episodes of the sixth series, the censors removed the main character, Hannah Horvath’s, reflections on [whether she should have children](girls:s6e5r1) and advice on the matter from [other characters](girls:s6e5r11).

The situation is similar in [Victoria](victoria). The young British queen is hesitant about having children, and in the Amediateka version, not only have her [anxieties](victoria:s1e6r4) been cut, but also any mention of an [“abortion drink”] (victoria:s3e4r0), as well as the scene in which Victoria [jumps up and down after sex](victoria:s1e6r6). This (ineffective) method of contraception was suggested to her by Baroness Lehzen. Having fallen pregnant, Victoria discusses with her husband, Prince Albert, how much [easier life used to be](victoria:s2e2r4).

We also found instances of censorship regarding references to surrogacy: in [Six Feet Under](six_feet_under), this is primarily [linked to LGBT themes](six_feet_under:s5e3r10), whereas in [Mayfair Witches](mayfair_witches), a scene was cut in which one of the characters, Odette Grave, says she is [carrying someone else’s child](mayfair_witches:s1e3r2).

Censorship in anime: a deer, a demon, and a death worm

There aren’t that many anime titles in the Amediateka catalogue, just around forty. Yet even in this genre, the censors still found things to cut.

Most censorship in anime isn’t related to the main storylines, but to so-called “fan service,” elements that creators include to please the audience. These often have homoerotic undertones.

For example, in the anime [My Deer Friend Nokotan](my_deer_friend_nokotan), numerous harmless scenes have been cut where, in a humorous context, [girls gaze lovingly at other girls](my_deer_friend_nokotan:s1e1r1) or [parody romantic relationships](my_deer_friend_nokotan:s1e8r3).

Meanwhile, the censorship in the anime [Legend Of The Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These](ginga_eiyuu_densetsu_die_neue_these) affected the platonic relationship between two partners and childhood friends, Kircheis and Reinhard. In the story, the former dies, which comes as a great shock to the latter. [Reinhard dreams of Kircheis](ginga_eiyuu_densetsu_die_neue_these:s2e11r3), whilst those around him discuss how Reinhard has [lost a part of himself](ginga_eiyuu_densetsu_die_neue_these:s2e11r1). Reinhard even [keeps a lock of Kircheis’s hair in a locket](ginga_eiyuu_densetsu_die_neue_these:s3e7r7). Apparently, all the scenes depicting platonic affection were deemed to be LGBT propaganda.

However, not all anime censorship is LGBT-related. For example, in [Oshi no Ko](oshi_no_ko), [scenes depicting a minor’s fantasies](oshi_no_ko:s2e12r2) about a relationship with an adult man were cut, as were similar fantasies [in the opposite direction](oshi_no_ko:s1e1r0). Meanwhile, in [Dandadan](dandadan), the episode featuring the Mongolian death worm—a spirit that compels people to commit suicide—was censored. All scenes depicting [suicide attempts](dandadan:s2e2r9) were cut from the episode, including those that provide important context regarding the ghost’s origins.

Other topics: internet, religion, explosives, and violence

The remaining categories account for a relatively small proportion of the total volume of censorship, but are often of great interest.

We have classified references to web companies and services under the internet category (41 minutes). First and foremost, this concerns Meta, a corporation recognised in Russia as an “extremist community”: more than half of the total duration (27.5 minutes) is taken up by [an interview with Mark Zuckerberg](axios:s3e13r0), which was cut from [Axios](axios). And from [Gossip Girl](gossip_girl), the plot of which revolves around an anonymous Instagram blog, all [logos of the platform](gossip_girl:s1e12r35) have been removed. References to [Twitter](succession:s3e3r4) and [YouTube](the_newsroom:s1e1r4), which are blocked in Russia, have also been censored, as well as [Google](silicon_valley:s4e7r1), [Amazon](billions:s6e11r3) and [TikTok](chillin_island:s1e3r1). In addition, this category includes redacted mentions of Western media outlets (which are not yet blocked) such as [The New York Times](axios:s1e1r8), [CNN](gossip_girl:s1e8r6), [The Washington Post](axios:s3e2r4), and [The Los Angeles Times](bosch:s1e2r7).

Another relatively small category is censorship relating to religion and cults (39 minutes). Notable examples include: the church [premiere of Killer Mike’s rap album](billions:s7e5r4) in Billions, [sex on an altar](gossip_girl:s1e7r13) in Gossip Girl, and [an effeminate Jesus](killing_eve:s4e2r6) in Killing Eve. But far more has been cut from documentary series: for example, [Scientologists](what_on_earth:s2e4r3), [the Devil’s carnival](what_on_earth:s6e3r9) and [Aum Shinrikyo](what_on_earth:s5e7r5) in What On Earth?; [church arson](strange_evidence:s2e9r1), [Satanism](strange_evidence:s3e10r0) and [the Sadhu cult](strange_evidence:s6e7r4) in Strange Evidence. The leader in religious censorship is the anime series [Dorohedoro](dorohedoro), with numerous scenes cut which involve [demon worship](dorohedoro:s1e12r1), [inverted crosses](dorohedoro:s1e4r13), [goat skulls](dorohedoro:s1e12r20) and other satanic paraphernalia.

It is worth noting that even minor themes, which rarely appear on screen, can have a significant impact on the plot when censored. Take explosives. The most striking example is the South Korean thriller [Chimera](chimera), which centres on the investigation into a mysterious series of explosions. In the Amediateka version, not only were scenes [describing the composition of the explosives](chimera:s1e6r1) and [a video tutorial on how to make them](chimera:s1e15r6) removed, but even in the text section about the series, the word “explosion” was replaced with “arson.” In another thriller, [The Little Drummer Girl](the_little_drummer_girl), which tells the story of the confrontation between Israeli intelligence services and Arab terrorists, several scenes involving [the assembly of explosive devices](the_little_drummer_girl:s1e5r3) were cut. Instructions on how to make bombs have also been removed from the [Strange Evidence](strange_evidence:s3e3r3) and [Flashpoint](flashpoint:s4e7r1).

We have placed the killing of children in a separate category — despite the fact that in many series the violent scenes have been left in, this theme (for some reason) has been banned. From [Game of Thrones](game_of_thrones), the following scenes were cut: [the murders of Robert Baratheon’s bastards](game_of_thrones:s2e1r18), [the sacrifice of infants](game_of_thrones:s2e3r0), and [the stabbing of the pregnant Talisa Maegyr in the stomach](game_of_thrones:s3e9r1) during the “Red Wedding.” Furthermore, in [Twin Peaks](twin_peaks), a reference to [the death of a child](twin_peaks:s2e13r6)—who did not actually die—was censored. And from the show [In Treatment](in_treatment), a scene was cut with a military pilot’s recollection of how he [dropped a bomb on a school](in_treatment:s1e5r1), resulting in the deaths of 16 children.

Mediazona was unable to detect any systematic censorship of particularly brutal violence, but in several instances there is no other explanation for the removal of certain scenes. For example, a scene with [the ripping out of a spine](true_blood:s3e9r10) in [True Blood](true_blood) or [the amputation of a leg with a fishing line](eli_roths_history_of_horror:s2e3r19) in [Eli Roth’s History of Horror](eli_roths_history_of_horror).

Waves of censorship

In the course of our work on this project, we realised that the same shows can be edited multiple times. Amediateka revisits series that have already been censored in order to further edit out certain themes.

For example, in [Game of Thrones](game_of_thrones), as of spring 2025, 37 minutes had been cut from the total running time, mainly scenes involving [incest](game_of_thrones:s4e10r5) and [LGBT characters](game_of_thrones:s5e6r15). However, within just a few months, the total amount of censorship had risen to 61 minutes. The remaining [references to incest](game_of_thrones:s5e2r2) were removed, and a new thematic layer was added: [suicide](game_of_thrones:s5e1r3).

A similar situation occurred in [The Sopranos](the_sopranos). The initial censorship (just over half an hour) was mainly related to [LGBT](the_sopranos:s5e9r1) and [drug use](the_sopranos:s3e3r1). In the summer of 2025, the number of cut scenes tripled. For example, [A.J. Soprano’s suicide attempt](the_sopranos:s6e19r6) and its [discussion](the_sopranos:s6e19r19) were removed, as well as numerous scenes featuring [illegal substances](the_sopranos:s6e9r4).

We also found repeated waves of censorship in [Westworld](westworld:s1e3r2), [Boardwalk Empire](boardwalk_empire:s3e5r1), [Rome](rome:s1e10r2), [Banshee](banshee:s1e2r1), and [True Detective](true_detective:s1e4r12). However, in the shows affected by this new round of edits, other themes may also have been “cleaned up” at the same time—for example, [LGBT-related](boardwalk_empire:s1e9r2).

The shows

Below is the complete library of shows from the Amediateka catalog we were able to retrieve. By clicking on a show, you’ll find out what scenes (if any) have been removed from it. If we haven’t analysed the show in detail, you’ll only see the duration of the cut section.

The shows can be filtered by genre or by type of censorship (the main themes are described earlier in the article).

By default, we show All Analysed shows, the series that we have run through our algorithm (see the beginning of the article for more details) and have manually reviewed at least some of the cuts.

Shows marked as Not Analysed have not been run through the algorithm; instead, we have compared them with the original based solely on the duration of each episode. We do not claim that absolutely all such edits are specifically related to censorship (some of them may be due to technical differences, e.g. removal of bonus material). We do not include data on such shows in our overall calculations.

At the time of publication, some shows from our database are no longer available on Amediateka, although their pages are still indexed by search engines and can be accessed via direct links. This is usually due to the expiry of rights.

However, we have identified a specific category of shows whose pages are no longer accessible at all and have labelled these as Removed in Full. We do not know the exact reason for this, but at least one of them, the anime series [With You, Our Love Will Make It Through](with_you_our_love_will_make_it_through), was removed following a court order (see above for further details). Some of these shows were removed after we had analysed them.

The data is current as of August 2026.

Authors: Mediazona data team (David Frenkel, Maksim Litavrin, Arina Istomina, Mika Golubovsky, and others).