Montenegro Arrests Founder of Influential Russian Pro-War Blog Rybar
The U.S. is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of the influential pro-war channel Rybar.
Montenegro has arrested Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of the popular Russian Telegram channel Rybar, amid fears of Russian influence activities. U.S. officials are offering a $10 million reward for information leading to Zvinchuk and other Rybar staff involved in alleged election interference and foreign influence operations. Montenegro's police and National Security Agency conducted the arrest targeting "hybrid activities" by Russian information networks.
Zvinchuk's wife and three associates were also detained. The Prime Minister of Montenegro emphasized the country's commitment to protecting its interests and EU aspirations. Intelligence agencies had been monitoring the group, suspecting their presence in Montenegro was aimed at undermining local tourism and economic interests. Rybar, with around 1.5 million Telegram subscribers, publishes military analysis of Russia's Ukraine invasion.
Zvinchuk faces Western sanctions, and the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has tagged The Moscow Times as an undesirable organization. The Moscow Times, a Russian independent news outlet, seeks support to continue its work against censorship.
Written by urgent.news from The Moscow Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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