Montenegro detains Rybar founder Mikhail Zvinchuk

newsOct 9, 2026151,118

Montenegrin authorities detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, founder of the pro-war Telegram channel Rybar, on the morning of October 9 in the coastal town of Risan. Zvinchuk, his wife, and several staff members were detained in an operation led by Montenegro’s police in coordination with the National Security Agency. Montenegrin media said the action targeted a network of channels whose “hybrid activity” British and American authorities link to the spread of Kremlin propaganda. Zvinchuk is a former press service employee of Russia’s Defense Ministry who created Rybar with Denis Shchukin; the channel has more than 1.5 million subscribers. The Bell has reported that Yevgeny Prigozhin helped fund Rybar. Czech outlet Seznam Zprávy found Rybar representatives working in Europe, and Czech law enforcement recently detained and questioned two Russians linked to Rybar, ordering them to leave the country. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Russian embassy in Montenegro is investigating the circumstances of the detention.

🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦

@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social

Montenegro has detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, founder of Rybar, one of Russia’s largest and most influential pro-war Telegram channels. Rybar plays a major role in Russia’s war propaganda publishing Kremlin narratives.

4424h ago

🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦211

A former Russian military intelligence officer, Zvinchuk was detained alongside his wife and three associates. The US offers up to $10 million for information on Rybar’s operations to interfere in American elections.

Banjo time17

Visa free entry is over for Russians

hholymmack.bsky.social14

Theres a lot more ruzzians that deserve the same, but still are enjoying all the benefits of the western world, at the same time pissing on the western world, and the western world with open mouth trying to suck all of it, shameless world where greedy and criminal people are the ones ruling.

Medoyid_ua13

Rybar ran a strike-mapping and psyops shop with a payroll. Podgorica putting cuffs on its founder is the enforcement the EU sanctions list never delivered. Extradition is the next front.

atchijov.bsky.social9

Why he was allowed to Montenegro in a first place? Throw him to the jail… he can be dealt with after Russian defeat and Putin’s death.

Paul Thomas casey5

For Putin everyday is a little bit closer

Quoting this

Anders Puck Nielsen127

Big news from the Russian mil-blog community, if this is true.

People's Government of the Pelargir Commune 🇺🇦🇱🇹🇵🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿38

Oh my god lmao they got Rybar

NOELREPORTS

@noelreports.com

❗Montenegrin authorities detained Russian military analysis channel Rybar founder Mikhail Zvinchuk and several associates in Risan, Vijesti reports. Police and the National Security Agency are conducting an operation targeting suspected hybrid activities linked to the Russian network. #Russia

2244h ago

Mike Hodgskin14

Good news. Germany needs to arrest AfD leaders as well

Medoyid_ua6

Zvinchuk built Rybar into a strike-mapping and psyops shop with a payroll, EU-sanctioned since 2023. Podgorica putting cuffs on the founder is the enforcement the sanctions list never delivered. Extradition is the next front.

Winnie #Fella 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇵🇹🇪🇺🇿🇦🇺🇸🥩5

Extradite him to Ukraine please

Quoting this

jaimi.bsky.social2

Wait, Rybar doesn’t even live in the Motherland?!

Kate from Kharkiv

@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social

Wait, what? Montenegro arrested one of the most famous Russian propagandists, the author of Rybar! 👀

1431h ago

The Kyiv Independent

@kyivindependent.com

⚡️Founder of Rybar, Russian war propaganda channel, detained in Montenegro. Rybar is one of Russia's most popular pro-war blogs with over 1.5 million followers on the Telegram app, focusing on the coverage of battlefield developments in Ukraine while promoting pro-Russian propaganda about the war.

1191h ago

The Kyiv Independent62

The channel's staff has been subject to U.K. and EU sanctions, and the U.S. announced a $10 million reward in 2024 for information on Rybar's activities.

timewaster42.bsky.social2

Rybar behind the bars. The US offer probably has been cancelled by Trump...

Sven-Erik Volberg

@volberg.bsky.social

Rybar chief Mikhail Zvinchuk was detained in Montenegro this morning with his wife and associate, Valeria Zvinchuk, and three others. The UK and US have designated the russian intelligence-linked network’s leader as a key figure in malign hybrid activities. www.vijesti.me/vijesti/crna...

342h ago

The hedgehog

@the-hedgehog.bsky.social

Report: The founder of Kremlin-linked propaganda outlet Rybar has been arrested in Montenegro. Several associates, including his wife, were also detained. You will be shocked to learn that this Russian propagandist was not luxuriating in his beloved Russia.

Creator of the Z-channel “Rybar,” Mikhail Zvinchuk, detained in Montenegro

Mikhail Zvinchuk and several of his associates were detained on the morning of October 9 in the town of Risan, Montenegrin media outlets Vijesti and Pobjeda report.

Those detained include Mikhail Zvinchuk’s wife and associate, Valeria Zvinchuk, and three other people.

The operation is being carried out by Montenegrin police in cooperation with the country’s National Security Agency. It is aimed at “suppressing hybrid activities” by a network of channels that British and American authorities link to the spread of Kremlin propaganda and foreign information influence operations.

Mikhail Zvinchuk is a former employee of the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service. He created the Rybar Telegram channel, which now has more than 1.5 million subscribers, together with his colleague Denis Shchukin. The Bell reported that Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner PMC, helped finance the Telegram channel.

@meduzalive

294h ago

Tim White

@twmcltd.bsky.social

The Rybar (ENG: Fisherman) TG channel is pretty much official, and Mikhail Zvinchuk sees himself as Russia's "military cultural attaché" He's also sanctioned by the US: under Biden, a $10m reward was placed on his head for election interference. I'm sure Donald will do a deal🤦‍♂️

312h ago

Social Media Lab

@socialmedialab.ca

👀 "Montenegro Arrests Founder of Influential Russian Pro-War Blog Rybar" www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/10/09/m...

181h ago

The Moscow Times

@themoscowtimes.com

Authorities in Montenegro have detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of the influential pro-war Russian Telegram channel Rybar, in an operation targeting suspected Russian influence activities, officials in the Balkan country confirmed.

182h ago

Slava Bonkus #ElonSucksSoHard

@bonkski.bsky.social

3.0 Zvinchuk was found with drones and has been observing potential targets in Prague! His wife, Valerija Zvinchuk, was detained in the same raid with several other persons working for the network, according to Montenegrin media. Long article here with the background story! bsky.app/profile/maks...

153h ago

Slava Bonkus #ElonSucksSoHard14

4.0 That Rybar vatnik shouldn’t have bragged about not getting recognized at the border of Montenegro!😝 bsky.app/profile/wart...

Medoyid_ua2

Drones and a target list in Prague, not Kotor this time. Rybar isnt a fan channel, its a strike-mapping and psyops shop with a payroll. Montenegro rolled up the founder and his wife in the same raid. Extradition is the next front.

CherylJean1

🤬 Zvinchuk was up to Kremlin bull 💩

Quoting this

Slava Bonkus #ElonSucksSoHard7

That was a great catch!🇲🇪👏 #Rybar bsky.app/profile/bonk...

Slava Bonkus #ElonSucksSoHard4

Great catch, well done Montenegro!😎🇲🇪 bsky.app/profile/bonk...

Waltereggers3

"When Prigozhin’s mutiny failed and his business network was broken up, Rybar did not disappear. Instead, it was swallowed whole by the state... assessments show that funding for the network was taken over by Rostec ... From that point on, Rybar stopped operating as a ... media outlet altogether."

Alina Pereverzieva 🇺🇦

@perevaa.bsky.social

🇲🇪 Addtitional context. From Nov 1, Montenegro will require visas for Russians, Belarusians, Chinese, Turks and Saudis – part of its EU accession commitments. Yet Rybar was sent to film a story about how Montenegro would collapse without Russian tourists. A cash grab dressed up as propaganda.

162h ago

Meduza in English

@meduza.io

Montenegro has detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of Rybar, a major Russian pro-war Telegram channel, as part of an operation targeting a network of channels linked to Kremlin propaganda. meduza.io/en/news/2026...

123h ago

Janković Bojan Dr 🇷🇸🇺🇦

@bojandr1.bsky.social

portalanalitika.me//clanak/veli... In #Montenegro, a G(R)U team linked to #Rybar Telegram channel has been arrested.But be cautious: government in Montenegro leans on Russia, China,and Serbia. Opposition is driving force behind EU-oriented reforms there, @thestudyofwar.bsky.social @rusi.bsky.social

75h ago

Savonian Fella 🇫🇮 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 🇺🇸

@savonianfella.bsky.social

Vatnik Soup about Mikhail Zvinchuk, head of the pro-Kremlin Rybar network

63h ago

FinTwitter

@fintwitter.bsky.social

'The Russian Embassy in Montenegro is investigating the circumstances surrounding the detention of Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of the popular "Rybar" channel, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said' - reports in Russia

44h ago

3 sources

meduza.ioMontenegro detains Russian pro-war blogger behind Rybar, a Telegram channel with 1.5 million subscribers — Meduza themoscowtimes.comMontenegro Detains Founder of Russian Pro-War Channel Rybar - The Moscow Times pravda.com.uaRussian propagandist and founder of Rybar channel detained in Montenegro

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Montenegro detains Rybar founder Mikhail Zvinchuk

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