Recently, the political climate in Russia has caused the question of censorship to become
an increasingly relevant issue, the history of which is necessary to explore and understand.
The prevailing view regarding censorship is that it is a tool used to suppress the freedom of
speech by stifling the writer’s thoughts. However, there were some eminent censors such as
the poet Fyodor Tyutchev and the writer Ivan Goncharov. In this regard, it has become commont
to consider censorship isolated from any moral categories and interpret g it only as a
professional activity. In this context, the work of the censor Nikolai Ratynsky is of particular
interest to us. Until now, little has been published on his influence as a censor on the writers
of his time on the high professional level of his work in this capacity. Most of the corrections
Ratynsky made were valid and justified by the political situation in the Russian Empire. He
himself is further proof that, along with Tyutchev and Goncharov, there were honorable and
qualified men among the censors of the time. All this allows us to claim that it is necessary
to objectively consider and study the work of censors and ignor preconceptions and stereotypes
that are usually associated with the word censor.