Czech police order Russians who filmed in Europe for the pro-war Telegram channel Rybar to leave the country
According to Seznam Zprávy, Czech police detained and questioned Russian nationals Vitaly Chashchukhin and Igor Dolmatov, whom the outlet’s journalists identified as working for Rybar, a Telegram channel with ties to the Russian Defense Ministry. The two were ordered to leave the country within three days.
On March 31st, Czech police detained and questioned Russian nationals Vitaly Chashchukhin and Igor Dolmatov, who worked for the pro-war Telegram channel Rybar, according to Seznam Zprávy. The two were given three days to leave the country. During their questioning, Chashchukhin claimed he worked for the Russian newspaper Izvestia, which is under EU sanctions.
Chashchukhin, who has lived in Germany for about 10 years with permanent residency, was questioned for nine hours before departing the country. He informed Seznam Zprávy about his residency status. Czech police shared details about Chashchukhin with their German counterparts, who were unsure about taking up the case, citing careful examination of each sanctions violation case.
The previous day, Seznam Zprávy reported Rybar representatives operating in Europe, seeking comments from politicians and experts. The investigation involved arranging a meeting in Prague, posing as media literacy expert Bohumil Kartous, who had been invited for an interview. The team consisted of Chashchukhin, camera operator Igor Dolmatov, Moscow-based documentary filmmaker Boris Dvorkin, and Dvorkin had not been publicly linked to Rybar before.
They planned interviews in Czechia, Slovakia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, and France.
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