{
  "id": 13079614,
  "title": "Montenegro detains Russian pro-war blogger behind Rybar, a Telegram channel with 1.5 million subscribers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/montenegro-detains-russian-pro-war-blogger-behind-rybar-a-telegram",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-09T09:17:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/09/montenegro-detains-russian-pro-war-blogger-behind-rybar-a-telegram-channel-with-1-5-million-subscribers"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Montenegrin authorities arrested Mikhail Zvinchuk, the creator of the Rybar Telegram channel, on October 9 in Risan. Zvinchuk, his wife, and several staff members were taken into custody as part of an operation by the Montenegrin police and National Security Agency. The operation aimed to curb what British and American authorities suspect is Kremlin propaganda spread through a network of channels. Zvinchuk, a former press service employee of Russia's Defense Ministry, created Rybar with his colleague Denis Shchukin. The channel, now boasting more than 1.5 million subscribers, has been linked to Russian mercenary group Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. In late September, Czech authorities detained Russian citizens linked to Rybar and ordered them to leave the country.",
  "summary": "Montenegrin authorities detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, creator of the Z channel Rybar, local outlets Vijesti and Pobjeda reported.",
  "key_points": [
    "Montenegrin police arrest Mikhail Zvinchuk on October 9",
    "Rybar Telegram channel has 1.5 million subscribers",
    "Channel linked to Russian mercenary group Wagner"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Moscow Times",
        "title": "Montenegro Arrests Founder of Influential Russian Pro-War Blog Rybar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/montenegro-arrests-founder-of-influential-russian-pro-war-blog-rybar",
        "published": "2026-10-09T10:05:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Kyiv Independent",
        "title": "Founder of Rybar, Russian war propaganda channel, detained in Montenegro",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/founder-of-rybar-russian-war-propaganda-channel-detained-in-montenegro",
        "published": "2026-10-09T10:47:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Meduza (English)",
        "title": "Montenegro detains founder of Rybar, one of Russia’s most popular pro-war Telegram channels. Here’s what we know.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/montenegro-detains-founder-of-rybar-one-of-russias-most-popular-pro",
        "published": "2026-10-09T10:59:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Russian pro-war blogger among 5 arrested in Montenegro over alleged destabilization plot",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/russian-pro-war-blogger-among-5-arrested-in-montenegro-over-alleged",
        "published": "2026-10-09T11:31:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}