Who plays Yuri in Stranger Things?
The double-crossing Russian is played by a Serbian star.
As is the case each time a new run of episodes comes along, Stranger Things season 4 has brought us some truly memorable new characters, from leader of the Hellfire Club Eddie Munson to the big bad himself, Vecna.
There's also Argyle, Victor Creel, Dmitri and Jason to add to the list, all of whom have made big impressions amongst a crowded cast filled with our long-time favourite characters.
One new character whose stolen many fans' hearts is Yuri, the back-stabbing Russian who was hired by Dmitri to aid in Hopper's prison escape, but ended up double crossing the pair of them, along with Joyce and Murray.
He's quickly become a hugely popular love-to-hate character, but just who plays Yuri in Stranger Things season 4? Read on for everything you need to know.
Who is Stranger Things newcomer Nikola Đuričko?
Yuri is played by Nikola Đuričko, a Serbian actor who has mostly appeared in TV shows and films made in his native language thus far.
However, Đuričko has also appeared in a few English-language projects, including the Brad Pitt film World War Z, American crime drama Legends, and Informer, the 2018 BBC mini-series.
Who is Yuri, Đuričko's character in Stranger Things?
In Stranger Things season 4 volume 1, Yuri is a Russian hired by Dmitri to aid in Hopper's escape from jail. However, in an attempt to maximise profits, he double crosses them.
Once Joyce and Murray arrive, he was meant to transport the two of them to retrieve Hopper, who had already fled jail, from the rendezvous point. Instead, he also tipped off the prison of Hopper's whereabouts, leading to him being recaptured.
Meanwhile, he also drugs Joyce and Murray, ties them up and flies them to the jail in order to hand them over to the guards. However, while en route, Joyce and Murray manage to overpower Yuri, making the plane crash. Murray then poses as Yuri, while dressing Yuri up as himself, in order to enact an extraction plan and save Hopper from jail.
How have fans reacted to Yuri in Stranger Things?
Despite his duplicitous nature (or perhaps because of it), Yuri has fast become a fan favourite character, with Đuričko's charismatic performance and the character's eccentricities making him hugely popular, despite his limited screen time so far.
In fact Stephen King, whose works Stranger Things has always been partly inspired by, has called for Yuri to get his own spin-off, writing on Twitter: "I love that slimy, slinky Russian guy, Yuri. He deserves his own show. Like BARRY, only Russian."
Is Nikola Đuričko on Twitter?
Đuričko appears to have previously had a Twitter account but it hasn't been active for some time now.
Is Nikola Đuričko on Instagram?
He is. You can find Nikola Đuričko's Instagram profile with the handle @nikoladjuricko
Đuričko currently has more than 167,000 followers.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
