The Association of American Publishers revealed Friday that it was awarding its annual International Freedom to Publish Award to Freedom Letters and its creator, Georgy Urushadze, a former literary prize official in Moscow who had fled in 2022 after resisting the Russian incursion into Ukraine and being listed as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government.

"Georgy Urushadze has made immense sacrifices in the cause of free expression, shown unrelenting perseverance in creating a successful publishing house in exile, and inspired readers everywhere with his passionate commitment to publishing writers others have attempted to suppress," AAP President and CEO Maria A. Pallante said in a statement.

Run partly by dozens of volunteers, Freedom Letters has offices in Ukraine, Latvia, Georgia and elsewhere and has published hundreds of books in Russian and Ukrainian by anti-war authors and other critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some of the notable works published include "Last But Not Final Words," a collection of words by Russian political prisoners, and Olga Grebennik's "The War Diary," a graphic novel about Russian invasion.

Freedom Letters is prohibited in Russia and some of its authors are under criminal indictment. Urushadze has stated he can still sell his books in Russia through internet sellers.

It is no hyperbole to say that today's award is a message of hope for all those who, like us, believe that every book that ends up in the hands of a reader is an affirmation that stories can transcend borders, bans, and fear," Urushadze declared in a statement.

Other winners of the publishing prize have been Editorial Dahbar of Venezuela and NB Publishers of South Africa.