The head of the influential Russian war blog Rybar has been arrested in Montenegro alongside his wife and three other Russian nationals, amid warnings of attempts to destabilise the country.
Mikhail Zvinchuk, a former Russian defence ministry official, was detained in the Adriatic resort of Risan on allegations of spreading “Russian influence”, according to Montenegro’s Pobjeda newspaper, which cited sources.
Rybar said the group had entered Montenegro legally and had been planning to film at a monastery. “Since there were no violations of local legislation, we expect all detainees to be released,” the blog said.
The Russian embassy in Podgorica said it had requested clarification over the arrests and immediate consular access to the detainees.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic confirmed Zvinchuk’s detention in a post on X, saying it followed warnings that Montenegro could face destabilisation attempts and hybrid warfare — actions falling short of direct military conflict.
“There are serious indications that require every lead to be carefully examined and every connection to be viewed in a broader context,” Mr Spajic wrote.
He added: “The message after today’s successful operation, in which the head of the Rybar information network was detained, is clear … Montenegro is protecting its interests, and no one will jeopardise our European future.”
Montenegro’s strained relations with Russia
Montenegro has had difficult relations with Moscow for years. In 2016, its authorities accused Russia of plotting with Serbian ultranationalists to stage a coup, a claim denied by the Kremlin.
The relationship deteriorated further after Montenegro joined Nato in 2017. The EU candidate imposed sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine in 2022, banned Russian state media and expelled Russian diplomats on spying allegations. Russia subsequently declared Montenegro an enemy state.
Following the arrest, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said Moscow might need to “top up” its prisoner exchange fund with European and US citizens to secure the release of Russians held in Europe.
“It’s a mistake, of course, for our people to be travelling around European countries. Even if they have good intentions and important goals. Potentially, all (and I emphasise – all) Russians are being hunted down,” Mr Medvedev said on Telegram.
Rybar has more than 1.5 million subscribers and publishes detailed daily updates from the front line in Ukraine. Russian military blogs have broadly supported the war while occasionally criticising the handling of military operations by Russian commanders.
The blogs operate with greater freedom than official military public relations channels and are influential among supporters of the war on both sides. Rybar is also closely linked to the Russian military.
In October 2024, the US State Department offered a reward of up to 10 million US dollars for information identifying 19 people involved in managing Rybar-led social media channels.
The department’s Rewards for Justice programme accused the channels of promoting Russia’s political interests in the United States before the 2024 presidential election, and of seeking to “promote social division, stoke partisan and racial discord and encourage hate and violence in the United States”.
