Journalists from the Czech outlet Seznam Zprávy have exposed a Europe-wide operation run by the Russian propaganda hub “Rybar”, which has more than 1.5 million Telegram subscribers and is under EU sanctions.
According to the report by Seznam Zprávy, a Russian film crew travelled from Berlin to Prague to record interviews for a documentary project intended to spread pro-Russian narratives about Europe and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The journalists arranged a meeting with media literacy expert Bohumil Kartous, who, given his positions, was most likely meant to serve as the “opposition” voice in their future production to reinforce an impression of balance. It later emerged that the project’s producer is Boris Dvorkin, whose work is funded by Russia’s Foundation for the History of the Fatherland. The foundation was established directly by a decree signed by Vladimir Putin, and it is headed by Sergei Naryshkin, director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), whose remit includes operations abroad.
Dvorkin sent Kartous a series of questions ahead of the planned interview. They covered, among other things, the popularity of Euroscepticism, the possibility of normalising relations with Russia, and the alleged existence of disinformation “on both sides”. The Prague meeting was attended by cameraman Igor Dolmatov and Vitaly Chashchukhin, who is linked to the Russian propaganda outlets Izvestia, Channel Five and REN TV.
On hidden camera, Chashchukhin effectively confirmed that he was carrying out an assignment for “Rybar”, and after being confronted by journalists he fled the meeting location together with Dolmatov. Rybar founder Mikhail Zvinchuk is under EU sanctions, and US authorities have linked the hub’s activities to information operations in the Kremlin’s interests.
According to the Czech Financial Analytical Office, providing services to a company controlled by a sanctioned individual may be considered an indirect provision of economic resources to that person, and breaching sanctions can result in a substantial fine or criminal liability. Sanctions expert Jiří Skouhrovec said that, given the scale of the operation, the case could potentially show signs of a criminal offence, although a final assessment must be made by a court.
The investigation also showed that the Rybar project was not limited to the Czech Republic: film crews were working or planning to work in Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, France and other European countries. One Czech interviewee, former head of military intelligence Andor Šándor, confirmed that he gave an interview to a group that introduced itself as a Berlin-based international TV channel, but later withdrew consent for the material to be used.
Among those involved in the operation, journalists also identified Russian correspondent Margarita Kostiv, who worked for REN TV and other sanctioned Russian media. Invitations for interviews were also sent to people in Slovakia, and one of the emails was signed by Mikhail Zvinchuk himself, who is under EU sanctions.
Seznam Zprávy’s investigation indicates that Rybar uses a network of Russian journalists and producers living in Europe who can move freely within the Schengen Area to gather material. At the same time, the project’s organisers deny violating sanctions, claiming that some participants allegedly helped only on a one-off basis and were not paid for it.
- The US State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information that helps identify the whereabouts of the authors of, and those involved with, the Russian blog Rybar.