Montenegrin police confiscated drones, high-tech equipment, electronic devices, and mobile phones from Mikhail Zvinchuk, head of the Russian propaganda project Rybar, and four of his accomplices during their detention, Vijesti reports.

The Tivat Security Department now works with the National Security Agency (ANB) to carry out a forensic examination of the seized equipment. The confiscated hardware and digital storage media are being checked as part of a national security investigation.

The outlet’s sources in the security sector say that the equipment was intended for filming manipulative documentary content. The propagandists planned to present the alignment of Montenegro’s visa policy with European Union standards as a “politically forced process” that would supposedly damage tourism and the country’s economic stability.

Previously

Montenegrin police, cooperating with the country’s National Security Agency (ANB), detained the founder of the Russian pro-war Telegram channel Rybar, Mikhail Zvinchuk, and his wife Valeria, along with three other accomplices, on the morning of 9 October.

Rybar is a Russian media network founded in 2018. It gained particular traction after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Originally conceived as a platform for warfare analysis and reporting on armed conflicts, over time it grew into an extensive network of communication channels that Western institutions have linked to the spread of pro-Russian narratives, propaganda, and FIMI operations.

Mikhail Zvinchuk is the founder of Rybar, one of its most prominent members, and was once employed by the media structures at Russia’s Ministry of Defence. In 2018, he worked with Denis Shchukin to create the project, which later became one of the most influential Russian military Telegram channels.

In June 2023, the European Union imposed sanctions on Zvinchuk. The EU Council’s decision states that he ran the Rybar channel and was a member of a group set up by Russian President Vladimir Putin to coordinate activities related to the war against Ukraine. The EU links his work to the spread of pro-Kremlin disinformation and propaganda.

The United Kingdom has also listed the Rybar network among the organisations involved in Russian FIMI operations and interference in democratic processes. According to the British authorities, the network’s work is partly coordinated by the Russian Presidential Administration, and it is funded by the Russian state corporation Rostec. The United Kingdom has also stated that Rybar cooperates with Russian intelligence services.

In July 2026, the United Kingdom imposed extra sanctions on individuals linked to the network in an effort to counter Russian information operations.