The Bureau of Censorship was a bureau set up in the Ministry of Education of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

 following the passage of an enabling law on July 9, 1804.

The censorship statute read, in part:
The central committee of censorship was the St. Petersburg Censorship Committee, which reported directly to the trustees of the St. Petersburg school district. Censorship committees were also established in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

, Vilnius

Vilnius

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, and Tartu

Tartu

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, and later in other districts. All printed material and manuscripts were subject to the bureau's oversight and approval.