Founder of Russian propaganda channel detained in Montenegro after posting about evading travel ban
Police in Montenegro have detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, founder of the pro-war Russian Telegram channel Rybar, together with his wife and associate Valeria Zvinchuk and three other staff members, the Montenegrin outlets Vijesti and Pobjeda reported.
Montenegrin police and the country’s National Security Agency carried out the operation on Friday morning in the town of Risan. Authorities said the aim was to “stop the hybrid activity” of a network of channels that British and US officials have linked to the spread of Kremlin propaganda and foreign information-influence operations.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić confirmed Zvinchuk’s detention but said he would not disclose information that should remain with the security services.
“We warned that attempts at hybrid influence and destabilisation have dogged Montenegro’s path to Europe every step of the way,” he said. “This is not time for hasty statements, but also not the time for naive conclusions. There are serious grounds to believe that every lead must be carefully checked and every link considered in a broader context.”
Rybar also confirmed that Zvinchuk and several other Russians had been detained, saying all of them were in Montenegro legally. “At the moment, the project team is in contact with the Russian Foreign Ministry, which is working to resolve the situation,” the project said. “Since there were no violations of local law, we expect all those detained to be released.”
Zvinchuk, a former press officer for Russia’s Defence Ministry, and Rybar itself are under EU and British sanctions. In 2024, the US State Department offered a reward of $10 million for information on Zvinchuk and his associates, accusing him of interfering in American elections and inciting partisan and racial discord.
Zvinchuk had previously posted about his trip to Montenegro. On 7 October, he posted photos from the country on his personal Telegram account, with a caption describing how he got in. “Remember: even if you’re under sanctions (like me), even if you have a travel ban (like me), even if you’re heading to a country that has pledged, out of solidarity, to observe that travel ban (like in my case)... there’s a way!” he wrote. “You can always run into a border guard idiot who turns out all your pockets but forgets to check the database (like in my case).”
In late September, the Czech outlet Seznam Zprávy reported that Rybar was filming a “documentary series” in the Schengen Area about the social, political and economic situation in Europe.
