Montenegro detains pro-Kremlin blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk amid destabilisation warnings

Montenegrin police have detained Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk in the Adriatic resort town of Risan, along with his wife and three other Russians, in a case linked by officials to warnings of destabilisation and hybrid warfare. Zvinchuk is the founder of Rybar, a prominent pro-Kremlin war blog with a large following on Telegram. The detention has drawn attention because it involves a figure long associated with Russian influence operations and online messaging around the war in Ukraine.

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According to local reporting, the group was detained on Friday by police and security agents on suspicion of spreading Russian influence. Montenegro's prime minister, Milojko Spajić, confirmed the detention in a post on X and said it followed warnings that the country faced attempts at destabilisation and hybrid warfare. The group was reportedly taken to Podgorica, the capital, for questioning, and their phones and passports were confiscated.

The detention took place at the luxury Movenpick hotel in Risan, according to a Russian Telegram news channel. Rybar was founded in 2018 by Zvinchuk, who is described as a former press officer at Russia's defence ministry. The channel has become one of the most widely followed Russian military blogs, with more than 1.5 million subscribers on Telegram, and is part of a broader online ecosystem that supports Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Beyond Ukraine, it has also promoted pro-Kremlin narratives in Africa and the Middle East, and has been accused of amplifying far-right narratives linked to the migration crisis in Ceuta. The case therefore sits at the intersection of domestic security concerns and wider information warfare. The detention is significant because Montenegro has repeatedly been described by officials and analysts as vulnerable to foreign influence, particularly in the context of tensions between pro-Western institutions and actors seen as aligned with Moscow.

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In this case, the authorities have explicitly tied the operation to concerns about hybrid warfare, a term used for pressure that can include disinformation, covert influence and other non-military tactics. That framing suggests the arrest is being treated not simply as a routine police matter, but as part of a broader national-security response. Zvinchuk has also been the subject of sanctions and allegations outside Montenegro.

Britain sanctioned him and Rybar in December 2025 over their role in spreading Kremlin propaganda and undermining support for Ukraine, saying he received funding from the state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec and worked with members of Russia's intelligence services. The United States has separately accused him of attempting to interfere in the 2024 presidential election and offered a reward of up to $10 million for information about those involved. Those measures underline the extent to which he has become a target for Western governments concerned about influence operations.

It remains unclear what charges, if any, Montenegrin authorities may bring, and whether the detainees will be released after questioning. Rybar said its team was in contact with Russia's foreign ministry and expected the detainees to be freed, claiming there had been no violation of local law. The next developments will likely depend on whether police or prosecutors present further evidence linking the group to activities seen as threatening public order or national security.

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