Czech reporters uncover European team behind pro-war Russian Telegram channel Rybar

Seznam Zprávy journalists exposed that Rybar, a large pro-war Telegram channel with connections to Russia’s Defense Ministry, maintains an active presence throughout Europe, planning shoots in countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, France and Russia. The expose began when a producer calling himself Boris contacted media-literacy specialist Bohumil Kartous about a supposed documentary series, prompting the journalists to arrange a meeting that identified the producer as Russian citizen Boris Dvorkin, previously unlinked to Rybar.

Two additional staff members, who introduced themselves as Vitaly and Igor, were later identified as Vitaly Chashchukhin and cameraman Igor Dolmatov, both holding EU residence permits and with past work for sanctioned outlets Izvestia, Channel Five and REN TV. Their activities are financed in part by the History of the Fatherland Foundation, a Putin-established entity, and the channel’s founders Mikhail Zvinchuk and Denis Shchukin have known ties to the Russian Defense Ministry, with alleged backing from Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. After the journalists disclosed their identities, the Rybar team left Prague.