Journalist Yuri Dud stopped putting the “foreign agent” tag on his posts. He also called on businessmen who “have no legal connection with Russia” to buy advertising from him.
“The people who seized power in Russia banned those whom they call foreign agents from placing advertisements. This means that companies that remain in Russia will not be able to be our clients in the near future — even if they still want to. It’s unpleasant and inconvenient, but for now there’s no reason to despair,” Dudya’s telegram post says.
Today, March 11, Vladimir Putin signed a law according to which Russian companies are prohibited from placing advertisements with participants in the register of “foreign agents.” Yuri Dud, whom the Ministry of Justice declared a “foreign agent” in the spring of 2022. noted that this innovation “directly contradicts the Constitution.”
Yuri Dud is one of the most popular Russian interviewers. More than ten million YouTube users are subscribed to his channel. After the adoption of a law banning the purchase of advertising from “foreign agents” in the State Duma, journalist Alexey Pivovarov said that he fired “a significant part” of the employees of his “Editorial” project. He also transferred the rights to his telegram channel, now it operates independently.
Journalist Katerina Gordeeva, who together with her team records interviews and documentaries for the YouTube channel “Tell Gordeeva,” also reported a temporary suspension of work. Later she wrote that she would continue her business with donations from viewers.