Zakharova: Zvinchuk and his colleagues were released

The administrator of the Rybar Telegram channel, Mikhail Zvinchuk, and his colleagues were released, they are awaiting departure at the airport of Montenegro, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Russian diplomats provide them with the necessary assistance, she noted.

"The group was released, they are at the airport waiting for departure. Diplomats are assisting," TASS quoted the diplomat as saying.

On the morning of October 9, the founder of the Rybar project, Mikhail Zvinchuk, his wife Valeria and three of their colleagues were detained in the city of Risan. Zvinchuk and his employees were recognized as a threat to the national security of Montenegro and are being expelled from the country, the republic's Interior Ministry later reported.

"After the forensic, operational and intelligence actions carried out, it was established that these persons could not continue to be in Montenegro, therefore, according to the law on foreigners, decisions were made to expel them from Montenegro," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.