Russian pro-Kremlin war blogger and founder of ‘Rybar’ Telegram channel detained in Montenegro

Russian pro-Kremlin military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk, founder of the Rybar Telegram channel, has been detained in Montenegro along with several associates, the channel said Friday.

“Mikhail Zvinchuk was indeed detained in Montenegro along with other Russian citizens,” Rybar said in a post.

The Telegram channel, which British and US authorities have accused of spreading Kremlin propaganda and disinformation, has more than 1.5 million subscribers.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Zvinchuk’s detention and said it was seeking further information.

“The Russian Embassy in Montenegro is clarifying the circumstances,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state news agency TASS.

The Montenegrin outlet Vijesti reported, citing sources, that the country’s security services had detained Zvinchuk, his wife and colleague, Valeriya Zvinchuk, and three other individuals Friday morning in the town of Risan.

Zvinchuk has been under British sanctions since last December for his involvement in “destabilising Ukraine” and undermining its “territorial integrity.”

据该频道周五发布的消息，亲克里姆林宫的俄罗斯军事博主、Rybar Telegram频道创始人米哈伊尔·兹温丘克及其几名同伙在黑山被拘留。

“米哈伊尔·兹温丘克确实与其他俄罗斯公民一起在黑山被拘留，”Rybar 在一篇帖子中写道。

英国和美国当局指控该 Telegram 频道传播克里姆林宫的宣传和虚假信息，该频道拥有超过 150 万订阅者。

俄罗斯外交部证实了兹温丘克被拘留的消息，并表示正在寻求更多信息。

“俄罗斯驻黑山大使馆正在查明情况，”发言人玛丽亚·扎哈罗娃告诉塔斯社。

黑山媒体 Vijesti 援引消息人士的话报道称，该国安全部门于周五上午在里桑镇拘留了兹温丘克、他的妻子兼同事瓦莱里娅·兹温丘克以及其他三人。

自去年 12 月以来，兹温丘克因参与“破坏乌克兰稳定”和“破坏乌克兰领土完整”而受到英国制裁。