Founder of Russia's largest military-themed Telegram channel detained in Montenegro

On his social media pages, he boasted about being able to enter the country despite being under sanctions, and insulted the border guard who had failed to check his information.

2 hours ago

The founder of the Rybar Telegram channel has been detained in Montenegro.

Mikhail Zvinchuk, along with his wife and three channel employees, was detained on the morning of October 9 in the town of Risan. According to the local publication Vijesti, "sophisticated digital equipment," as well as drones and "electronic devices," were found with them. Montenegrin special services had been monitoring Zvinchuk and his team for several days. According to media reports, this operation was aimed at "disrupting the hybrid activities" of the Rybar channel network.

It is unknown whether any charges have been brought against Zvinchuk.

Law enforcement agencies have not issued an official statement regarding this situation. Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić stated on the social network X that the government does not intend to "publish information that should remain within the competence of the security services." "But the message after today's successful operation, in which the head of the 'Rybar' information network was detained, is very clear: state institutions are performing their duties, Montenegro is protecting its interests, and no one can jeopardize our European future," he wrote.

Those at Rybar confirmed the detention of the team members.

A post published on the Telegram channel emphasized that the presence of all those detained in Montenegro was legal and official. "In particular, filming was planned at the Cetinje Monastery based on an official request," the message says. It was also noted that there were "no violations of local legislation" by those detained, and hope was expressed that they would be released soon. Zvinchuk indeed visited Montenegro openly — these days he posted a video he took there on his RuTube channel. On his Instagram page, he wrote about how he was able to enter this country despite being under sanctions by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the Montenegrin government: "You can always run into a stupid border guard who searches all your pockets but forgets to look at the database."

The Russian government promised to provide diplomatic assistance to those detained.

"Our diplomats will clarify the reasons for the detention and will deal with protecting his rights, as is the case with every Russian citizen," said Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian president. Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, said that Russians are "wandering around for nothing" in European countries and called for the formation of an "exchange fund" of Europeans and foreigners in Russia.