Montenegro ordered the expulsion of Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of the popular Telegram channel "Ribar", who is wanted by the United States of America on suspicion of meddling in the elections. The decision was made for reasons of national and internal security, announced the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro.
Zvinchuk was arrested a few hours before the deportation order was issued. In the same action, the Montenegrin authorities ordered the expulsion of four more Russian citizens.
According to the announcement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, five Russian citizens entered Montenegro less than 48 hours earlier and stayed in a hotel in Risno. The police and the National Security Agency identified Zvinchuk as the leader and member of the Russian political-hybrid network "Ribar".
The Montenegrin authorities have not announced to which country the deportees will be sent. The spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, told the Russian state agency TASS that they were released and are at the airport, where they are being assisted by Russian diplomats.
Telegram channel "Ribar" confirmed the arrest of 35-year-old Zvinchuk and other Russian citizens. The announcement stated that they entered Montenegro legally and that they were planning to film at the Cetinje Monastery. According to "Vijesti" from Podgorica, Zvinchuk's wife was among those arrested.
Planned filming
The sources of "Vijesti" stated that the group was planning to shoot a documentary critical of Montenegro's approach to the European Union. According to those sources, the film could have negative consequences for tourism, economic stability and national interests of the country.
During the operation, police confiscated digital equipment, including a drone, high-resolution cameras and several mobile phones.
The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, welcomed the action, saying that the institutions are doing their job and that the state is protecting its interests and the European future.
According to the research portal Detektor, before coming to Montenegro, Zvinčuk stayed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, among other things, during the general elections held on Sunday.
According to the Agence France Presse (AFP), the United States of America has offered a reward of ten million dollars for information about Zvinchuk and several other employees of the "Ribar" channel. The European Union imposed sanctions on him, accusing him of spreading disinformation and pro-Russian propaganda related to the war in Ukraine.
Russian military bloggers gained a lot of influence after the start of the invasion of Ukraine. They publish information about military operations and the work of the Ministry of Defense, criticize the failures of the Russian army, and often demand more aggressive warfare.
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