Montenegrin police detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, head of the Russian military focused Telegram channel Rybar, which covers the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Zvinchuk was detained together with several other Russian citizens, the channel said Friday. It said they were in the country legally and that the project is in contact with Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic confirmed that authorities apprehended Zvinchuk and warned of alleged hybrid destabilization efforts targeting the country’s European path. Spajic said the institutions were protecting the country’s interests and that “no one will jeopardize our European future,” in a post on X.
Montenegro’s police force later on Friday said in an email it decided to expel Zvinchuk and other four detainees on concerns for “national and internal security.” The group was detained “with support from international partners” as part of efforts to “prevent and neutralize illegal activities in the territory of Montenegro,” the agency said.
The police during the arrest confiscated “sophisticated digital equipment,” including high-resolution equipment, Go-Pro camera, drone, and phones, it said.
Zvinchuk and four other people, including his wife, were detained in the town of Risan after police, in coordination with Montenegro’s National Security Agency, conducted an operation targeting alleged hybrid influence activities linked to Rybar, Montenegrin daily newspaper Vijesti reported , citing unidentified people from the security sector.
Rybar, which has about 1.5 million subscribers on Telegram, focuses mainly on military analysis, with extensive coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In 2024, the US government offered a reward of as much as $10 million for information “leading to the identification or location” of the Russian military media outlet Rybar and its employees. According to the Rewards for Justice program, Rybar has been receiving funding from Rostec, Russia’s state defense industrial corporation, which has been sanctioned by the US since 2022.
Rybar’s Telegram channels continue operating normally despite the detentions.