Russian pro-war blogger among 5 arrested in Montenegro over alleged destabilization plot

POGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — An influential Russian war blogger and former military officer was arrested on Friday in Montenegro on suspicion of trying to destabilize the country, officials said.

Mikhail Zvinchuk, who previously served in the Russian Defense Ministry’s press office, founded Rybar, a Telegram channel with more than 1.5 million followers. He has strongly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Zvinchuk was detained on Friday in a “successful operation,” said Milojko Spajic, the prime minister of Montenegro, a Balkan country that was a Moscow ally but is now a NATO member seeking European Union membership.

Spajic said in a statement that “our institutions are doing their job, Montenegro is protecting its interests, and no one will jeopardize our European future.”

“We have warned that attempts to undermine and destabilize Montenegro through hybrid activities have relentlessly accompanied our European path,” he added.

Media reports said that Zvinchuk was detained in the coastal town of Risan along with his wife and three others.

A statement on Rybar said the group had planned to film a monastery after properly notifying the authorities. It said the channel was in contact with Russia’s Foreign Ministry, which was handling the matter.

No further details about the allegations were immediately available, and Montenegrin police have yet to comment.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian diplomats will determine the reason behind the arrest of Zvinchuk and others and help protect their rights. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the Russian Embassy in Montenegro is looking into the case.

Zvinchuk, who has strongly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has been one of the most popular Russian war bloggers.

After arriving in Montenegro, Zvinchuk posted a video saying he had entered despite being on European sanctions lists. He attributed this to a negligent border guard who apparently failed to notice his sanctions status.

Montenegro, a country of about 630,000 people on the southern Adriatic Sea, is seen as next in line for EU membership. The predominantly Orthodox Christian, Slavic nation was historically an ally of Moscow but defied Russia to join NATO in 2017.

Thousands of Russians have moved to Montenegro since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Montenegro has joined EU and other Western sanctions against Russia and will require visas for Russian citizens starting Nov. 1.

Pro-EU officials in Montenegro have repeatedly warned that Russia could use “hybrid” operations to undermine the country’s bid to join the bloc.

In Moscow, Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy head of its Security Council, said “a hunt has been announced for all Russians” traveling to Europe, adding that “anyone can be arrested.”

Medvedev, a fierce critic of the West and one of Russia’s most hawkish officials, also suggested that Russian authorities could retaliate by arresting European and American citizens.

FILE - Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajic speaks during joint press conference with an Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the chancellory in Berlin, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, file)

LONDON (AP) — The former Prince Andrew has been awarded 302,000 pounds ($400,000) in compensation after he was forced to surrender the lease on his long-time home ahead of schedule due to the public outcry surrounding his relationship with the convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Crown Estate released the compensation figure on Friday as it announced that the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, had fully vacated the Royal Lodge, a 30-room stately home surrounded by parkland near Windsor Castle, west of London. Mountbatten-Windsor was entitled to compensation because he moved out of the property less than 25 years into his 75-year lease, the Crown Estate said.

The money was deducted from the 1.8 million pounds Mountbatten-Windsor owed because of the condition of the property, meaning he actually paid the Crown Estate about 1.5 million pounds. The Crown Estate is an independent company established by Parliament to manage a vast portfolio of property throughout the United Kingdom that is nominally owned by the sovereign but is operated for the benefit of taxpayers.

“The lease for Royal Lodge has ended and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return,” the Crown Estate said in a statement.

King Charles III stripped his younger brother of his princely title and ordered him to leave Royal Lodge last year as the monarch sought to shield the rest of the royal family from the continuing scandal of Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Epstein. The moves came as the U.S. Justice Department released millions of pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein, revealing previously unknown details about his links to the former prince.

Mountbatten-Windsor's continuing residence at Royal Lodge was a particularly sensitive issue for many people because he paid only a nominal rent on the house and surrounding estate.

The former prince signed a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge in 2003, when he was still a working member of the royal family, attending public events on behalf of his mother Queen Elizabeth II and serving as Britain's special trade representative. The lease required Mountbatten-Windsor to spend 7.5 million pounds on renovating the property and make a one-time payment of 1 million pounds.

Mountbatten-Windsor was entitled to compensation for the renovation expenses if he surrendered the lease within the first 25 years, the Crown Estate said.

Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, gave up his role as trade envoy in 2011 and stepped away from all royal duties in 2019 because of concerns about his relationship with Epstein.

After he moved out of Royal Lodge in February, Mountbatten-Windsor moved to a home on the Sandringham Estate in eastern England, which is privately owned by the king.

FILE - Britain's Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)