Timur Yunusov (Timati) is a Russian hip-hop artist of Tatar-Jewish descent, music producer, actor, and entrepreneur. Honored Artist of the Chechen Republic (2014). Born on August 15, 1983, in Moscow.
Listening to this artist's tracks on official streaming platforms, social media, and other services indirectly contributes to financing the war — through taxes paid to the budget of the Russian Federation.
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In 2015, he released the song (and accompanying music video) "My Best Friend Is President Putin". His close ties with the Kremlin bring Timati substantial income, which is why he consistently sides with the authorities rather than the public.
- Became an official authorized confidant (proxy) for Vladimir Putin during the 2018 presidential elections.
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On October 9, 2022, he was placed on Ukraine's sanctions list. He is also listed in the Myrotvorets database.
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In May 2022, Latvia banned Timati from entering the country due to his vocal support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and justification of Russian military aggression.
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On April 23, 2026, the European Union imposed sanctions against Timati for supporting the war, including a ban on entering the EU and a freeze on his assets.
Timati's stance on the war in Ukraine
Timati openly supports the Putin regime and Russia's war against Ukraine. On March 4, 2022, on his VKontakte page, Timati shared his views on the war in Ukraine, voicing the Kremlin's narrative that it was a "forced measure taken by the country's leadership":
I completely understand why you are all writing this to me and what is truly happening inside your country... Those who genuinely understand modern history and geopolitics clearly see whose powerful lobby this is and who funded all of this... Right now, this is a forced measure taken by the leadership of the Country in response to a series of actions taken years earlier by your leaderships. Right now, I in no way justify military actions, because no war can ever have any justification, and not a single innocent person's life is worth this... I loved and still love Ukraine and the people there very much. I am deeply sorry that we were pushed against each other like this and couldn't find a compromise... History alone will judge who acted correctly in all of this and what choices were made. I sincerely regret that all of this is happening and that it is happening this way.
On March 18, 2022, Timati performed at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at a rally-concert celebrating the anniversary of Crimea's annexation, titled "For a World Without Nazism! For Russia! For the President!"
Support for Putin in the 2024 elections
During the 2024 elections, Timati declared that he planned to vote for Putin, calling him the strongest leader:
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Nothing changes. I truly consider him the strongest leader and believe that Russia is very fortunate. We have become strong, we have become independent, people tried in every way to break us using the most serious tools, financial regulations, restrictions, and sanctions, and nothing worked...
What Timati says about the war in Ukraine: quotes
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"I receive a lot of comments saying people dream of seeing me in the trenches, saying if I'm such a patriot, I should prove it. I partially agree with a number of those comments. Repaying the debt to the motherland will sooner or later have to be done by everyone who lived, developed, and received benefits here for so many years."
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"Right now, this is a forced measure taken by the country's leadership in response to a series of actions taken years earlier by your leadership. The situation in Ukraine was produced by the West. I am very, very sorry that we reached this point of what seems to be no return. Dialogue is needed."
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"Likewise, nobody needs a strong Russia. They need another Gorbachev or Yeltsin. But history has other plans."
What celebrities say about Timati's stance
I don't understand how you found the time to free up your mouth and stick some statements onto me. When you see Russian soldiers killing Ukrainian people, children, destroying cities. Better go sit quietly in the corner, save your half-bankrupt company, and flip burgers. Stop throwing your threats around. You are nothing without your sugar daddies.
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