Founder of Rybar to be expelled from Montenegro. He entered there via Germany, despite EU sanctions

As journalists found out, on October 2, Zvinchuk flew from Memmingen to Sarajevo. According to the German Foreign Ministry, there is no international transit zone at the local airport that would allow transfers without entering the Schengen area. Thus, Zvinchuk must have passed passport control and been on German territory, despite the sanctions imposed against him in 2023.

After arriving in Sarajevo, he spent five days in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he recorded a video about the elections. On October 7, Zvinchuk traveled to Montenegro via the Zupci land border crossing.

During the trip, he analyzed the results of the October 4 elections in Republika Srpska. Journalists identified the filming locations: the Kozarska Dubica area, Kozara National Park, and the Donja Gradina memorial.

Zvinchuk had previously visited Bosnia during the presidential elections in Republika Srpska in November 2025. At that time, he recorded a video near the region's government building.

Republika Srpska is part of Bosnia and Herzegovina and maintains close relations with Moscow. Milorad Dodik, the leader of the region's ruling party, regularly meets with Vladimir Putin and opposes sanctions against Russia. According to Dodik himself, he had met with the Russian president 29 times by the end of September. The last meeting took place on September 29 in the Kremlin — five days before the elections in Bosnia.

In Montenegro, law enforcement officers detained five people from the "Rybar" channel's team, including its founder Mikhail Zvinchuk. According to reports, they did not hide their presence in the country: they stayed in a five-star hotel, submitted an application in advance for filming at the Cetinje Monastery, which has long maintained ties with Moscow, and Zvinchuk himself went on air from Montenegro.

No official charges have yet been filed against the detainees. Media reports suggest they are suspected of conducting a hybrid operation. A version has already appeared in pro-Kremlin military Telegram channels that the detention was part of a pre-planned operation.

After arriving in Montenegro, Zvinchuk said that a border guard checked his belongings but forgot to cross-reference his data with the database. According to TASS, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro has recognized Zvinchuk and his companions as a threat to the country's national security and intends to expel them.

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