Alexander Plushev

Alexander Vladimirovich Plushev is a Russian journalist, radio and television presenter known in particular for his coverage of the internet, technology and digital culture. He was born on September 16, 1972.

Plushev worked at Echo of Moscow from 1994 until the radio station was shut down in 2022. He also worked at NTV and Lenta.ru during his career. After leaving Russia, he became a host and co-creator of the YouTube news and current-affairs project The Breakfast Show.

Russia’s Justice Ministry designated him a “foreign agent” in October 2022. Russian courts subsequently fined him several times for failing to comply with reporting and labeling requirements associated with that status.

In June 2025, a Moscow court also fined him 15,000 rubles for alleged involvement with the Berlin-based Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, which Russian authorities had designated an “undesirable organization.”

On June 11, 2025, the Interior Ministry placed Plushev on its federal wanted list. The official entry says only that he is wanted under a Criminal Code provision and does not identify the article.

Before the wanted notice appeared, state news agency RIA Novosti cited an unnamed law-enforcement source as saying that authorities were considering a case under Article 330.1 concerning alleged failure to comply with “foreign agent” obligations. That report does not establish that Article 330.1 is the formal charge.

No in-absentia detention order has been publicly reported; only the federal wanted listing is confirmed.

Plushev lives in Vilnius and has not been convicted in the criminal case.