On October 17, 2026, writer Dmitry Glukhovsky announced that he is once again opening free access to his famous novel “Metro 2033.” He posted the book on his own Telegram channel and allowed it to be downloaded, read, and forwarded to others. Exactly a month ago, “Registration” appeared there as well — his new novel about Russian society during the war against Ukraine.
Author: Elena Gunko | Special for NANews — Israel News | October 17, 2026
Glukhovsky is a citizen of Israel, a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a writer whom a Russian court sentenced in absentia to eight years in a penal colony for publications about the war.
But in today’s Facebook post, he does not announce a political campaign and does not demand any commitments from readers. He simply offers them a book. To understand why, it’s worth listening to the author himself.
“So that people read”
On September 24, in an interview with Alexander Plushev, the writer was directly asked why he is distributing “Registration” for free. The answer was brief:
“And the goal is the same as back then, so that people read.”
By “back then,” Glukhovsky meant 2002. He was not yet a world-famous author, publishers were not eager to take the manuscript of “Metro 2033,” and he published the first version of the novel on a specially created website.
In 2005, the book was published in print. According to the official website of the writer, it has been translated into 41 languages, and worldwide sales have exceeded four million copies.
Today, the problem is different. As Glukhovsky explained in the same interview, a book about the war cannot be published in Russia, and emigrant publishers work with small print runs. Delivering the book to readers through traditional stores is difficult.
Therefore, he chooses Telegram: the text can be obtained immediately, without purchase and without intermediaries.
This explanation primarily related to “Registration.” Attributing the same motives to every decision of the writer would be inaccurate. However, in the October message, Glukhovsky himself linked the two publications.
What old science fiction warned about
In “Metro 2033,” humanity has survived a nuclear catastrophe. The survivors hide in the Moscow metro, where stations have become separate communities with their own laws, fears, and enemies. Even after the demise of the old world, people continue to divide into their own and others.
When Glukhovsky previously released the novel for free, he himself explained its concept: to try to understand whether people are capable of stopping repeating the wars of the past and living without the image of an enemy.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, these questions took on a completely different sound.
The reader easily recognizes familiar mechanisms in the fictional world: propaganda, political myths, fear of outsiders, and the willingness to justify violence for one’s own safety.
At the same time, Glukhovsky did not associate the specific date of the current publication with any political event. It is important to distinguish this from one’s own reading of his novel.
Why this story concerns Israel and Ukraine
Glukhovsky’s Israeli biography began long before his literary fame.
In 1996, at the age of seventeen, he came to Israel. He studied Hebrew, completed a preparatory program — a mechina, which helps future students enter an Israeli university. Then he studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, receiving an education in international relations and mass communications.
The writer has Israeli citizenship. This is important for understanding his current situation: convicted in Russia, he continues his literary activities outside its borders.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, Glukhovsky publicly spoke out against the war. On August 7, 2023, the Basmanny Court of Moscow sentenced him in absentia to eight years in prison for allegedly false information about the Russian army.
NANews reported on this sentence back in August 2023.
There is also a direct Ukrainian connection to “Metro.” The game series based on the novels was created by 4A Games studio, founded in Kyiv. The developers’ collaboration with Glukhovsky continues during the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Thus, the writer’s work, which opposed the Russian invasion, became the basis of an international project in which Ukrainian developers played a crucial role.
From “Registration” back to “Metro 2033”
On September 17, Glukhovsky published “Registration” for free — a novel about a pregnant girl of a Russian serviceman who tries to register a marriage to receive payments after his injury or death.
This story sparked debates about war, money, responsibility, and how society changes when human life receives a state price.
NANews has already thoroughly analyzed the new novel, its characters, and the discussion it provoked.
Now Glukhovsky invites readers to return to “Metro 2033.”
Calling this the first free publication in a quarter of a century is incorrect: the novel appeared on the internet back in 2002, and later the author distributed it for free again.
But in October 2026, such a decision looks especially remarkable.
The Russian authorities achieved a court sentence for the writer, but did not stop his communication with the Russian-speaking audience. He can still directly address readers, including those in Russia.
Arguing with Glukhovsky, criticizing his books, or disagreeing with his conclusions is not prohibited. He suggests reading the text first and then forming one’s own opinion.
Read for free: official Telegram channel of Dmitry Glukhovsky.