Dud, Yury

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Yury Aleksandrovich Dud is a prominent Russian journalist, YouTuber, and media personality born on October 11, 1986, in Potsdam, East Germany. He has Ukrainian origins but identifies as Russian and has lived in Russia since the age of 4[1][3].

Professional Career

Dud began his journalism career early, working as a freelance journalist for Izvestia at 16 and graduating from Moscow State University’s Faculty of Journalism in 2008[3]. He initially focused on sports journalism, working for various sports media outlets and serving as editor-in-chief of Sports.ru from 2011 to 2018[3].

YouTube and Media Influence

In 2017, Dud launched his YouTube channel vDud, which quickly became a massive success. The channel features long-form interviews with notable figures from Russia and post-Soviet states[1]. By early 2022, vDud had over ten million subscribers, and by December 2024, it reached 10.3 million subscribers with 2.273 billion views[5].

Political Stance and Challenges

Dud has gained significant attention for his socio-political interviews and documentaries that often challenge government narratives. He has:

Interviewed opponents of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Created documentaries on sensitive topics like torture in Russia and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs
Been labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian government in April 2022
Left Russia after speaking out against the war in Ukraine[2]

Notable Works

Some of his notable documentaries include:

“How the World’s IT Capital Works” (2020)
“Why They Torture in Russia” (2021)
“Man in War” (2022) about volunteers helping Ukrainian refugees[1]

Recognition and Challenges

Dud has received multiple awards, including GQ Russia’s Person of the Year in 2019[1]. However, he has also faced legal challenges, including:

A 100,000 ruble fine for alleged “drug propaganda”
Investigations by Moscow prosecutors for potentially “undermining the reputation of the Russian Army”[4][8]

As of January 2025, Dud continues to be a significant voice in independent Russian media, known for his critical reporting and in-depth interviews.

Citations

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yury_Dud [2] https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/01/02/yury-dud-russia-s-most-popular-anti-war-youtuber-shares-his-wish-for-the-new-year [3] https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10097978/ [4] https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-yury-dudy-investigated-moscow-prosecutors/32681472.html [5] https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D1%83%D0%B4%D1%8C,%D0%AE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 [6] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMCgOm8GZkHp8zJ6l7_hIuA [7] https://www.instagram.com/yurydud/?hl=ru [8] https://cpj.org/tags/yury-dud/