One of the things that Stranger Things season 4 did well was introducing new characters into the series. This is probably the season with the highest number of new characters, as these characters were able to contribute to the series in their own unique way, regardless of how big or small their roles may be. One such character is Yuri, who had a somewhat important role in the series. So, who is Yuri in Stranger Things season 4, and who plays him?
Yuri Imaylov is a Russian smuggler who lives in Alaska and plays the role of Dmitri’s contact in America. His original role was to smuggle Hopper out of Russia. However, ended up betraying Dmitri so that he could earn more money by selling out Hopper, Dmitri, Joyce, and Murray to the Russians.
When Yuri was introduced, he seemed like a jolly Russian that loved joking around. However, he ended up becoming more of a selfish and money-grabbing backstabber who sold out his own ally for some cash. Still, he did play a big role in the series as he was instrumental in helping Joyce get to Hopper. That said, let’s talk more about who Yuri is and what role he played in Stranger Things season 4.
Who Is Yuri In Stranger Things Season 4?
Like the previous seasons, Stranger Things season 4 introduced more characters into the mix as it follows an entirely new plot that still revolves around the Upside Down but with a new villain. In that regard, there are plenty of different subplots hiding behind the main plot of the fourth season, and these subplots introduced new characters into the mix.
One of the new characters that became quite important to one of the subplots is Yuri. He was introduced during the middle portion of the season as Joyce and Murray began their mission to get Hopper back from Russia. So, who is Yuri in Stranger Things season 4?
As mentioned, throughout the first volume of Stranger Things season 4, Joyce and Murray were on a mission to get Hopper back from Russia. However, it was only when Joyce got an anonymous note hidden from a Russian porcelain doll that they found out that Hopper was alive. They called a number, as a man named “Enzo” was over at the other end.
Enzo, who is actually a prison guard named Dmitri, told them to go to Alaska carrying the money that Hopper had left for Eleven. The fact that Dmitri called himself Enzo (which was the restaurant where Joyce and Hopper were supposed to go to) and that he knew about the money that Hopper left behind made Joyce and Murray believe that Hopper was still alive after all. And this led them to a trip to Alaska.
In Alaska, they were supposed to meet up with Dmitri’s contact named, Yuri. They got to a plane hangar where they met a Russian who joked that Yuri had died, but he was actually Yuri. So, going straight to the point, Yuri was the man that Dmitri entrusted to receive the money that Joyce was supposed to give to him for Hopper’s safe return.
The plan was for Dmitri to help Hopper escape from prison and for him to go to Yuri’s safe house in a nearby town in Russia so that they would meet up there and Yuri would bring him back to Alaska, where he would be reunited with Joyce. And the reason why the job was entrusted to Yuri was the fact that he is a known smuggler who has had years of experience smuggling goods and people from Alaska to Russia on his plane.
However, instead of going through with the plan, Yuri had other ideas. He decided to double-cross Dmitri by tipping Hopper’s location off to the prison guards. He also had a conversation with the prison Warden to warn him about Dmitri’s betrayal. Yuri also drugged Joyce and Murray so that he could bring them to Russia and get a reward for their capture, considering that they were wanted by the KGB due to the events that happened in season 3.
Yuri succeeded in getting Joyce and Murray on the plane as he was about to bring them to Russia, where the Warden would be waiting for them. However, Joyce and Murray got free from their bindings in the plane and were able to defeat Yuri, although their victory ended in a minor plane crash. All three of them survived the crash as Joyce and Murray captured Yuri. They came up with the plan to infiltrate the Russian prison while allowing Murray, who was fluent in Russian, to pretend that he was Yuri while Yuri was gagged and was supposed to be Murray.
The plan worked as Joyce and Murray were able to infiltrate the prison. They also were able to successfully rescue Hopper from the Demogorgon that he and Dmitri were forced to fight in the Russian prison. That said, Yuri’s ultimate fate is still something that we don’t know, considering that neither Joyce nor Murray killed him.
Who Plays Yuri In Stranger Things Season 4?
A lot of people who saw Stranger Things probably weren’t familiar with Yuri. That’s because he is played by Nikola Djuricko, a Serbian actor that hasn’t had a lot of movies in the west. However, he is pretty popular in Europe because he has been in movies ever since the 80s
Djuricko has been acting for more than four decades already as he saw his first acting job in 1980. Most of his roles were in European movies but he has seen a few roles in western productions as well. He appeared in World War Z as one of the airline pilots during that Israel scene and ended up appearing in In the Land of Blood and Honey. Still, most of his roles are from European movies, even though he occasionally makes the jump to American productions every now and then.
