Montenegro has detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of the influential Russian war blog Rybar, along with his wife and three other Russian nationals, following warnings of attempts to destabilise the country through hybrid activity, Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said on Friday.
The detention
Zvinchuk was detained in the Adriatic coastal town of Risan by police and security agents in what the prime minister described as a successful operation. Montenegro's Pobjeda newspaper, citing sources, reported that the group was detained on charges of spreading "Russian influence". Zvinchuk, who previously served in the Russian Defence Ministry's press office, founded Rybar — one of the most popular blogs on Russia's war in Ukraine, with more than 1.5 million subscribers on Telegram.
Spajic said in a statement that Montenegro's institutions were "doing their job" and that "no one will jeopardize our European future". Montenegro, a NATO member since 2017, is seeking European Union membership and has long had fraught relations with Moscow, which were further strained after Montenegrin authorities accused Russia of plotting a 2016 coup attempt — a charge the Kremlin denied.
Responses
Rybar said the group had been in Montenegro legally and had planned to film at a monastery there after notifying the authorities, adding that it was in contact with Russia's Foreign Ministry and expected the detainees to be released since there were no violations of local law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian diplomats would determine the reason behind the arrests and help protect the detainees' rights, while Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Russian Embassy in Montenegro was looking into the case.
British and US authorities have previously accused Rybar and its associated figures of operating as part of Russian information-influence efforts, with the United Kingdom sanctioning Zvinchuk and the US State Department listing him over alleged malicious influence operations targeting the US electoral process.
Sources:
- Founder of Russian war blog Rybar arrested in Montenegro — Reuters
- Russian pro-war blogger among five arrested in Montenegro over alleged destabilization plot — New Indian Express
The detention
Zvinchuk was detained in the Adriatic coastal town of Risan by police and security agents in what the prime minister described as a successful operation. Montenegro's Pobjeda newspaper, citing sources, reported that the group was detained on charges of spreading "Russian influence". Zvinchuk, who previously served in the Russian Defence Ministry's press office, founded Rybar — one of the most popular blogs on Russia's war in Ukraine, with more than 1.5 million subscribers on Telegram.
Spajic said in a statement that Montenegro's institutions were "doing their job" and that "no one will jeopardize our European future". Montenegro, a NATO member since 2017, is seeking European Union membership and has long had fraught relations with Moscow, which were further strained after Montenegrin authorities accused Russia of plotting a 2016 coup attempt — a charge the Kremlin denied.
Responses
Rybar said the group had been in Montenegro legally and had planned to film at a monastery there after notifying the authorities, adding that it was in contact with Russia's Foreign Ministry and expected the detainees to be released since there were no violations of local law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian diplomats would determine the reason behind the arrests and help protect the detainees' rights, while Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Russian Embassy in Montenegro was looking into the case.
British and US authorities have previously accused Rybar and its associated figures of operating as part of Russian information-influence efforts, with the United Kingdom sanctioning Zvinchuk and the US State Department listing him over alleged malicious influence operations targeting the US electoral process.
Sources:
- Founder of Russian war blog Rybar arrested in Montenegro — Reuters
- Russian pro-war blogger among five arrested in Montenegro over alleged destabilization plot — New Indian Express
