Montenegro Detains Russian Z-Blogger Targeted by US

Montenegrin authorities detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, founder of the prominent Russian pro-war Telegram channel Rybar, along with his wife and three other people on Friday, Oct. 9, local media reported.The detentions took place in the town of Risan and involved Montenegrin police and the National Security Agency, according to Montenegrin outlets Pobjeda and Vijesti.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Pobjeda identified Zvinchuk as a colonel in Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). The five were reportedly taken for questioning.Russian Telegram channels Shot and Baza offered differing details about their whereabouts, with Baza reporting that Zvinchuk and his wife were being questioned in the capital, Podgorica, and that their phones and documents had been confiscated.Baza also reported that Montenegrin law enforcement had opened a criminal case over an alleged threat to national security. The claims have not been independently verified.According to Baza, the group was filming a documentary about Montenegro’s European integration for a special project associated with Russian state television propagandist Vladimir Solovyov. Shot reported that the group was detained at a hotel where investigators found drones and other digital equipment.Rybar says team was filming legallyIn an update, Rybar channel said Zvinchuk and his team had been in Montenegro “legally and officially” to film the Cetinje Monastery, claiming that they had previously submitted an official request to do so. Other Topics of Interest African Nations Seek Return of Citizens Captured Fighting for Russia in Ukraine Kenya wants five captured nationals recognized as victims of human trafficking as Russia continues to recruit overseas under false pretenses. The channel also said those detained were in contact with Russia’s Foreign Ministry. The Russian Foreign Ministry separately said the Russian embassy was looking into the circumstances of the detentions.It remains unclear whether the five will face charges or what specific allegations authorities are investigating.Rybar’s links to Russian military and propaganda networksZvinchuk is a former employee of the Russian defense ministry’s press service and the founder of Rybar, a pro-war media project, whose Telegram channel has more than 1.5 million subscribers.The project has been linked to Russia’s military and defense-industrial networks. The late Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was reportedly among its previous financial backers, while later funding has been linked to Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defense conglomerate.The US Treasury Department sanctioned Rostec in June 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.In 2024, the US State Department accused Rybar of attempting to interfere in US elections and fuel political and racial divisions. Washington offered a reward of up to $10 million for information about individuals associated with the project and related foreign influence activities.Zvinchuk is also subject to sanctions imposed by the EU and the UK.British authorities have accused him of supporting actions that undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. The UK has also said Rybar’s network is partly coordinated by the Russian presidential administration, receives funding from Rostec, and cooperates with Russian intelligence agencies.The EU has cited Zvinchuk’s participation in a working group established by Russian President Vladimir Putin to coordinate mobilization efforts related to the war against Ukraine as part of its justification for sanctions.Previous detention of a Russian pro-war media crew in EuropeThe reported detention in Montenegro follows other cases involving Russian media personnel operating in Europe.Earlier, Czech authorities detained a Rybar film crew, according to Russian media reports. Izvestia employees Mikhail Chashchukhin and Igor Dolmatov were also reportedly expelled from the Czech Republic after arriving in Prague to film a project for the Russian outlet’s European operation.An investigation by the independent Russian outlet Important Stories (Vazhnye Istorii) previously reported that the two journalists had lived legally in Berlin for about a decade and traveled freely across Europe despite sanctions against Izvestia and Rybar. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.