Mikhail Zvinchuk describes detention and expulsion from Montenegro

Rybar Telegram channel founder Mikhail Zvinchuk described questioning during his detention in Montenegro on October 9. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the group of Russian nationals had been released.

Zvinchuk said he was asked whether he had come to recruit foreigners to participate in fighting in Ukraine. He said a decision to deport the group was made after they had been held for eight hours. His account appeared in a video published on the Rybar channel.

His wife Valeria and three colleagues were detained with him in Risan. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova later said the group had been released and was waiting at the airport to depart. She said diplomats were providing assistance.

Montenegro's police said five Russian nationals were to be expelled on national and internal security grounds. That explanation from the authorities is distinct from Zvinchuk's account of the questions asked during detention.