Russian pro-Kremlin military blogger, Mikhail Zvinchuk, founder of the Rybar Telegram channel, has been detained in Montenegro alongside several associates, according to the channel.
Rybar confirmed the detention in a post on Friday, stating, “Mikhail Zvinchuk was indeed detained in Montenegro along with other Russian citizens.”
The Telegram channel, which focuses on military affairs, has more than 1.5 million subscribers.
British and United States authorities have accused it of spreading Kremlin propaganda and disinformation.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry also confirmed Zvinchuk’s detention, saying it was seeking further details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The Russian Embassy in Montenegro is clarifying the circumstances,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian state news agency TASS.
Meanwhile, Montenegrin media outlet Vijesti reported, citing sources, that the country’s security services arrested Zvinchuk, his wife and colleague, Valeriya Zvinchuk, and three other people on Friday morning in the town of Risan.
Zvinchuk has been under British sanctions since December 2025 over his alleged role in “destabilising Ukraine” and undermining its “territorial integrity.”
