Yuri Zisser — Belarusian web entrepreneur and founder of TUT.BY

Career and enterprises

In the early 1990s Zisser founded a software company named Nadezhnye programmy (Russian: УП "Надёжные программы"), which marked his transition into commercial software and internet-related services. Over time he expanded from software into web media and online services. His most notable project, TUT.BY, offered a mix of news, search tools, classifieds and community features that appealed to a broad Belarusian audience and helped shape the national internet landscape.

Impact and significance

Zisser's work is often credited with helping modernize the Belarusian online ecosystem by combining newsroom-style reporting with practical services and user-oriented tools. TUT.BY became a central destination for readers seeking daily news, practical information and online marketplaces. As a public-facing entrepreneur and blogger, Zisser also played a visible role in conversations about digital business and media in the region.

Key facts

• Born: June 28, 1960, in Lviv.
• Moved to Minsk in 1987 and began activities in software and web projects.
• Founded the company Nadezhnye programmy in the early 1990s (Russian: Надёжные программы).
• Established and ran TUT.BY, which became the country's leading web portal.
• Died May 17, 2020 in Minsk from stomach cancer.

Zisser's career illustrates the growth of private internet enterprises in the post‑Soviet space: starting from software services and moving into large‑scale online publishing and portals. His work left a lasting mark on how many Belarusians accessed news and online services, and TUT.BY remained a reference point for digital media in the country.

For further context on language and regional background see links to the Belarusian language and resources about Ukraine and Belarus.