Russian military blogger detained in NATO country – media

Mikhail Zvinchuk, founder of the Russian military Telegram channel Rybar, has been detained in Montenegro, local media reported on Friday.

Police and the country’s National Security Agency reportedly carried out the operation in the coastal town of Risan that morning. Zvinchuk’s wife and three associates were also detained, according to the reports.

The operation is being described as targeting alleged “hybrid activity” by the Rybar network, but no specific evidence supporting the accusation has been presented.

The channel, which has around 1.3 million subscribers, had previously also faced US and British accusations of spreading Russian propaganda and conducting information operations abroad. The US State Department had even issued a $10 million bounty in 2024 on any information about the individuals behind the Rybar channel.

Moscow’s embassy in Montenegro is currently inquiring into the circumstances of Zvinchuk’s detention, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

The Telegram channel Baza has reported that it has been able to independently confirm Zvinchuk’s arrest, stating that he and his wife were detained at 7:30 AM local time at the Mövenpick Hotel in Risan and were reportedly not even allowed to pay for their room or collect their belongings.

The pair have since been taken to Montenegro’s capital Podgorica, where they are currently being interrogated, Baza claimed. Their phones and documents have been confiscated.

Montenegrin media have reported that local security services had been monitoring Zvinchuk’s group for several days before Friday’s detention. The Rybar team is believed to have arrived in the country to film a report about Montenegro’s plans to align its visa policy with EU standards.

The planned video is reportedly being viewed by authorities as an attempt to portray European integration as a threat to the country’s tourism, economy and national interests.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW.