The ruling was issued by the Basmanny District Court of Moscow, the press service of the capital's courts said. The charge relates to a statute covering public calls for terrorist activity, its justification, or propaganda through media or the internet.
Officials have not said publicly what specifically prompted the prosecution. The case followed Dud's addition to the Rosfinmonitoring list of "extremists and terrorists" — which, according to Radio Liberty and Current Time, meant that a criminal case had been opened against him.
In April, Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin ordered that "published materials be studied and the actions of the blogger be given a legal assessment" after the release of an interview with Denis Kapustin, founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps, which fights on Ukraine's side. The RVC is designated a terrorist organization in Russia.
The Investigative Committee claimed the interview "expressed positive assessments of banned misanthropic ideologies" and contained signs of "popularization of violent actions against people on ethnic grounds." The results of the review were not made public, and it remains unclear whether the criminal case is connected specifically to the Kapustin interview.
This is the second in absentia arrest of the journalist. In July 2025, the same court ordered his in absentia arrest in a case of failing to comply with "foreign agent" obligations, and in November it sentenced him in absentia to one year and ten months in a penal colony. That was the first real prison term under the statute, which carries up to two years.
On Monday morning, the Telegram channel Shot, which is close to the security services, reported that "the process of confiscation" of Dud's property had been "launched." The outlet did not specify who initiated the confiscation or what its legal status was.
Dud lives abroad. He is known for video interviews with prominent figures, including politicians and public figures who are critics of the Kremlin.