Russia Brands Exiled YouTuber Yury Dud ‘Terrorist and Extremist’

Sep. 23, 2026 Yuri Dud. @vdud / YouTube Russia’s financial monitoring agency Rosfinmonitoring added exiled journalist and YouTuber Yury Dud to its database of “terrorists and extremists” on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether Dud faces criminal charges, but an asterisk marked alongside his entry in the database indicates that he is under criminal investigation. In April, the head of Russia’s top investigative body, the Investigative Committee, ordered a criminal probe into Dud after he published an interview with Denis Kapustin, the leader of a far-right paramilitary group fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia. Kapustin is also on Rosfinmonitoring’s registry of “terrorists and extremists.” Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin accused Dud of providing “positive coverage of banned misanthropic ideologies” and “promoting violence against people based on nationality.” State Duma lawmaker Andrei Alshevskikh, who is a member of the ruling United Russia party, later asked law enforcement authorities to press terrorism charges against Dud for the interview. On Monday, a Moscow court fined Dud 40,000 rubles ($470) for violating Russia’s “foreign agent” law. In November, he was sentenced to nearly two years in prison in absentia after being found guilty of “foreign agent” law violations. Dud’s YouTube channel, which he launched in 2017, has more than 10 million subscribers and features interviews with politicians, musicians, journalists and business leaders, among others. Read more about: Rosfinmonitoring , Extremism , Celebrities Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Russia Adds Telegram Founder Pavel Durov to ‘Terrorist and Extremist’ List The designation comes a day after the FSB issued a warrant for the tech entrepreneur’s arrest on charges of facilitating terrorist activities. 2 Min read Russia Designates Exiled Political Analyst Schulmann, Philanthropist Zimin as ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ The designation enables authorities to freeze bank accounts and block access to financial services without a court order. 2 Min read Russia Adds Chechen MMA Fighter to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List Ilyas Yakubov was arrested last fall after posting an Instagram video set to an audio track featuring a notorious Chechen guerrilla leader. 1 Min read Russia Adds Navalny Allies Pevchikh, Yarmysh to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List Also added on Friday were Navalny’s exiled lawyers Olga Mikhailova and Alexander Fedulov, who were earlier placed on Russia’s wanted list. 1 Min read