Shevchuk was born in Yagodnoye in Magadan Oblast and raised in Ufa, Bashkir ASSR.
Shevchuk was an art teacher before founding DDT.
By the time their third album Periferiya (Periphery) was released, Shevchuk had got a high pressure by Soviet censorship.
In 1985 he disbanded his group and resettled to St. Petersburg, Russia, with his wife, Elmira.
In Saint-Petersburg he assembled a new line-up and became a member of Leningrad Rock Club.
In 1992, he lost his wife due to cancer; an album Aktrisa Vesna (Spring the Actress) contained her paintings and was dedicated to her.

In January 1995, during First Chechen War, Shevchuk went on a peace mission to Chechnya, where he performed 50 concerts for both Russian troops and Chechen citizens alike.

In 1999, Shevchuk visited Yugoslavia with concerts in protection of its integrity, sharply criticized USA for bombing of the sovereign state and shot some reports about destroyed Orthodox churches in the Serbian region of Kosovo for UNESCO.

In the 2000s, Shevchuk was highly critical of what he considered the undemocratic nature of Vladimir Putin's Russia (see: Putinism), and was one of the only public celebrities who aired oppositionist grievances face-to-face with Putin during a now-famous sit-down with cultural figures.
On 3 March 2008 he participated in a Dissenters March in Saint Petersburg against the president elections where no real opposition candidates were allowed to run.
One of his controversial songs, "Kogda zakonchitsya neft", has the lyrics "When the oil runs dry, our president will die".

On 24 and 26 September 2008, he organized two peace concerts in Moscow and Saint Petersburg as a protest to the Russian–Georgian war.
The name of the concert "Don't Shoot" was taken from his song "Ne Strelyai" that he had written in 1980 as a response to the Soviet–Afghan War.
Together with his band DDT he performed with Georgian jazz singer Nino Katamadze, Ossetian band "Iriston" and Ukrainian band Bratya Karamazovy.
Parts of the profits from the concerts were given to those who had suffered from the war, both Ossetians and Georgians.

In May 2010 Shevchuk received considerable media attention following a pointed dialogue with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in which he openly confronted him (on state television) with questions regarding such controversial topics as democracy, freedom of speech, assembly, and freedom of the press in Russia.
In 2017 interview he admitted that next day after dialogue he "got a call from United States Congress with an invitation to read a somewhat lecture..." and his answer was: "[we] will settle it by ourselves".
He also stated that some of his requests were treated and processed by Kremlin administration.

On 25 August 2010, Shevchuk performed the Bob Dylan song "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" together with U2 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, the band's first ever concert in Russia.

On 4 January 2011, Shevchuk was featured on the U.S. NPR Morning Edition radio program.

On 18 June 2014, during a concert at Green Theatre (Moscow), Yuri Shevchuk declared that all revenue from a concert will be contributed to "Dr. Lisa" fund as a help for injured citizens of Donbass.
Shevchuk was born in Yagodnoye in Magadan Oblast and raised in Ufa, Bashkir ASSR. Shevchuk was an art teacher before founding DDT. By the time their third album Periferiya (Periphery) was released, Shevchuk had got a high pressure by Soviet censorship. In 1985 he disbanded his group and resettled to St. Petersburg, Russia, with his wife, Elmira. In Saint-Petersburg he assembled a new line-up and became a member of Leningrad Rock Club. In 1992, he lost his wife due to cancer; an album Aktrisa Vesna (Spring the Actress) contained her paintings and was dedicated to her.
In January 1995, during First Chechen War, Shevchuk went on a peace mission to Chechnya, where he performed 50 concerts for both Russian troops and Chechen citizens alike.
In 1999, Shevchuk visited Yugoslavia with concerts in protection of its integrity, sharply criticized USA for bombing of the sovereign state and shot some reports about destroyed Orthodox churches in the Serbian region of Kosovo for UNESCO.
In the 2000s, Shevchuk was highly critical of what he considered the undemocratic nature of Vladimir Putin's Russia (see: Putinism), and was one of the only public celebrities who aired oppositionist grievances face-to-face with Putin during a now-famous sit-down with cultural figures. On 3 March 2008 he participated in a Dissenters March in Saint Petersburg against the president elections where no real opposition candidates were allowed to run. One of his controversial songs, "Kogda zakonchitsya neft", has the lyrics "When the oil runs dry, our president will die".
On 24 and 26 September 2008, he organized two peace concerts in Moscow and Saint Petersburg as a protest to the Russian–Georgian war. The name of the concert "Don't Shoot" was taken from his song "Ne Strelyai" that he had written in 1980 as a response to the Soviet–Afghan War. Together with his band DDT he performed with Georgian jazz singer Nino Katamadze, Ossetian band "Iriston" and Ukrainian band Bratya Karamazovy. Parts of the profits from the concerts were given to those who had suffered from the war, both Ossetians and Georgians.
In May 2010 Shevchuk received considerable media attention following a pointed dialogue with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in which he openly confronted him (on state television) with questions regarding such controversial topics as democracy, freedom of speech, assembly, and freedom of the press in Russia. In 2017 interview he admitted that next day after dialogue he "got a call from United States Congress with an invitation to read a somewhat lecture..." and his answer was: "[we] will settle it by ourselves". He also stated that some of his requests were treated and processed by Kremlin administration. 
On 25 August 2010, Shevchuk performed the Bob Dylan song "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" together with U2 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, the band's first ever concert in Russia.
On 4 January 2011, Shevchuk was featured on the U.S. NPR Morning Edition radio program.
On 18 June 2014, during a concert at Green Theatre (Moscow), Yuri Shevchuk declared that all revenue from a concert will be contributed to "Dr. Lisa" fund as a help for injured citizens of Donbass.
Yuri Shevchuk