Maxim Katz

Maxim Yevgenyevich Katz (Russian: Макси́м Евге́ньевич Кац; born 23 December 1984) is a Russian political opposition figure, urban planning activist, election campaign strategist, and popular YouTuber hosting his own daily political show. Katz rose to prominence in 2011 when he launched a successful campaign for a municipal assembly seat in Moscow. Between 2012 and 2016, he served as a legislative representative for the district of Shchukino. In 2012, Katz was elected to the Russian Opposition Coordination Council, serving there until 2013. Katz is known for his work as an opposition campaign strategist, having served as campaign chief or their deputy for elections of Alexei Navalny (2013), Dmitry Gudkov (2016), Darya Besedina (2019), and Anastasia Bryukhanova (2019, 2021). In 2012, Katz and Ilya Varlamov co-founded the City Projects Foundation, an organization that focuses on improving the quality of life in Russian cities. Katz's eponymous YouTube channel, launched in 2010, features daily political commentary and has amassed a following of over 2.3 million subscribers and more than 1 billion views. In August 2023 Katz was sentenced to 8 years in absentia on politically motivated charges in Russia for allegedly spreading "false information" about the Russian full-scale war against Ukraine, specifically the Bucha Massacre. In March 2026 he was found guilty of violating Russia's "foreign agent" law and sentenced to additional 1 year in absentia.