Russian propagandists actively use entrepreneur and self-employed statuses. This way they can cut tax payments

Russian propagandists actively use individual entrepreneur and self-employed statuses. This way they can significantly reduce tax payments

Russian propagandists use the status of individual entrepreneurs and self-employed persons, which among other things makes it possible to save substantially on taxes, “Verstka” found.

The scheme with individual entrepreneur and self-employed status to receive part of income may be used, for example, by pro-war blogger Semyon Pegov, a source who worked with him told “Verstka.” The official median income of the Z-blogger is 2.5 million rubles per month; he is paid by state channels among others.

“That’s only the tip of the iceberg. He receives money as a self-employed person, and through an individual entrepreneur, in crypto, as an expert, as a volunteer. It’s tens of millions of rubles,” the source told “Verstka.”

Another example is pro-war blogger Daniil Bezsonov, a host on Radio Russia and a frequent guest on other state channels. He was sent money by RT, VGTRK, and contractors of Channel One and NTV. In April 2024, he registered as an individual entrepreneur, and his income as a private individual fell threefold — from 10 million rubles a year to 3 million, according to a leak of social fund data. In the first half of 2025, he was transferred only 180 thousand rubles, although he did not disappear from television and radio.

The scheme is also used by Anatoly Kuzichev, host of the show “Time Will Tell.” His official salary at Channel One is just over 2 million rubles a year. At the same time, in October 2025, he flew business class to the Maldives with his wife to celebrate his 35th anniversary in a 100-meter villa. The cost of the trip may have reached 2.5 million rubles, “Verstka” calculated.

Yekaterina Andreyeva, Margarita Simonyan, Vladimir Solovyov, and Igor Prokopenko are also registered as individual entrepreneurs.

Replacing labor relations with a scheme using individual entrepreneur and self-employed status to evade taxes is quite widespread in Russia. The Federal Tax Service regularly reports on how it punishes participants in such schemes with additional tax assessments and fines.

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