Founder of Russian propaganda network Rybar detained in Montenegro - media

According to Montenegrin outlets Vijesti and Pobjeda, police and the country's National Security Agency conducted the operation in the coastal town of Risan, near the Bay of Kotor.

Vijesti, citing sources in Montenegro's security sector, reported that the operation targeted suspected hybrid activities linked to Rybar, a Russian information network that Western governments have associated with Kremlin propaganda and foreign influence operations.

Those detained reportedly include Zvinchuk's wife and associate, Valeria Zvinchuk, and three other individuals.

Russian independent outlet The Insider subsequently reported that the Telegram channel Baza had separately confirmed Zvinchuk's detention, saying he was taken into custody at a hotel at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time.

Montenegrin authorities had not publicly confirmed the reported detentions or announced specific charges at the time of the reports.

What is Rybar?

Zvinchuk, a former employee of the Russian Defense Ministry's press service, co-founded Rybar in 2018. The project became one of Russia's most prominent pro-war Telegram channels following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, attracting more than 1.5 million subscribers.

Its activities have expanded far beyond military commentary. According to the Institute for the Study of War, Zvinchuk described an international network comprising more than 250 communication channels in 28 languages, as well as media training initiatives in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kyrgyzstan.

Zvinchuk has been under European Union sanctions since 2023. The EU has identified him as a member of a working group established by Russian President Vladimir Putin to coordinate activities supporting Russia's war against Ukraine.

British authorities have linked Rybar to Russian foreign information manipulation operations, saying its activities are partly coordinated by the Russian presidential administration, receive funding from state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec, and involve cooperation with Russian intelligence personnel.

In 2024, the US State Department offered rewards of up to $10 million for information concerning foreign actors involved in attempts to interfere in US elections, including individuals associated with Rybar.

The reported operation in Montenegro follows another European investigation involving the network. In September, Czech police detained and questioned two Russian nationals linked to Rybar by investigative journalists and ordered them to leave the country, according to The Insider.

The grounds for the reported detentions in Montenegro and whether formal charges will follow remain unclear.