Three Russian citizens illegally brought sophisticated equipment into Montenegro – posing as a production company from Belgrade

Three citizens of the Russian Federation, who, according to Pobjeda's sources, illegally entered Montenegro by illegally bypassing official border and customs procedures, were urgently deported from the country after a large amount of highly sophisticated digital and computer equipment was discovered on them.

According to Pobjeda's sources from the highest levels of the security sector, these Russian citizens attempted to deceive the authorities by posing as employees of a Belgrade-based production company, which allegedly deals with video streaming and television broadcasts of events.

However, their dubious explanations did not match the information possessed by the competent institutions, nor the statements of other Russian citizens who they claimed would perform television work, which, according to sources, indicates a well-organized effort to create a logistical cover.

According to official information from the Police Directorate, these are Aleksandar Solomotov (38), Ivan Korchagin (26) and Andrej Ishkin (38), against whom the measure of termination of stay in Montenegro was immediately imposed.

They were located on Saturday in a joint operation by the National Security Agency (ANB) and the Police Directorate, which prevented, according to the authorities, a potentially destabilizing activity disguised as media activity.

The police officially announced that these individuals did not possess any accompanying documentation for the found equipment and were unable to provide investigators with any convincing explanation for their origin and destination.

Pobjeda's sources from the security sector inform that these individuals had long been the subject of operational processing due to suspicions about their covert activities.

The investigators' particular attention was drawn to the fact that, according to these sources, part of the sophisticated equipment had been introduced into Montenegro by completely bypassing regular border and customs procedures, i.e. after an illegal crossing of the state border.

According to Pobjeda's interlocutors, the Russian citizens insisted that they were part of the technical team of a Belgrade-based production company, which allegedly dealt with video streaming and television broadcasts of various events.

However, during detailed checks, the authorities found that their statements did not match those of other Russian citizens with whom they claimed to collaborate on television projects.

Particular interest for the security services, which operate according to Euro-Atlantic standards for combating foreign interference, was aroused by the specific and advanced configuration of the seized equipment, which, according to the authorities, significantly exceeds the usual needs of television reporting.

Among the seized equipment was a large professional bag with a black color and a red zipper, designed for transporting heavy professional tripods for television cameras, which indicates the use of heavy professional equipment in the field.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT UNDER INVESTIGATION

A high-performance computer workstation, marked with the name "GHOST / ECHO", equipped with an advanced cooling system, was also found.

According to technology and security experts, such computers are used for real-time processing and directing of video materials, as well as for managing complex “live” productions through professional programs such as vMix or OBS. In the context of hybrid warfare, according to expert assessments, these systems can also be used for very rapid distribution and coordination of unverified content.

Among the seized equipment was a device marked "Encoder-2", along with a professional Hollyland system for wireless video signal transmission.

This technical combination enables the immediate acquisition of video signals from field cameras or drones, their rapid compression, and their real-time transmission over the internet for live streaming. According to security sources, such technology could be misused to broadcast events outside of any state surveillance and control.

Additional attention from Montenegrin security authorities was also drawn by the large quantity of professional CAT6 Plenum LAN cables.

These are high-quality network cables, resistant to fire and smoke spread, which are usually used for permanent installations inside buildings.

The presence of a significant amount of this material, according to security sector sources, indicates the possibility that the Russian group had planned to independently build its own network infrastructure at the scene, creating cables of the necessary lengths, likely to set up an illegal operations center.

As additional evidence of suspicions about the establishment of a production center, a Telefunken television box was also found with them, inside which a large monitor was being transported.

In professional television productions, this monitor is used as a “multi-view” screen, through which operators can simultaneously follow signals from several cameras during live broadcasts. According to the authorities, this completes the picture of the technical readiness of this group for the development of unreported operations on the territory of Montenegro.

Camouflage for special operations?

According to experts in the field of video production, all of the seized equipment could have a completely legitimate use in television, sports broadcasts or the organization of large public events.

However, the same experts warn that the combination of a very powerful workstation, a professional video streaming encoder, a large amount of network equipment and the ability to quickly set up an independent LAN network allows the creation of a completely independent communication and video streaming center in a very short time in places where there is no infrastructure.

In the context of hybrid actions, this, according to them, constitutes a typical model for establishing autonomous bases for the distribution of coordinated content or for illegal data collection.

For this reason, investigators are trying to determine exactly where this equipment was planned to be installed, who hired the three Russian citizens, whether there was actually business cooperation with the Belgrade company, and why they were unable to legally document the origin of the equipment they used.

Pobjeda's sources from the security sector recall that modern intelligence services in recent years have increasingly used so-called COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) technology, i.e. commercial civilian equipment that can be legally purchased on the market and combined into sophisticated systems with specific purposes.

These devices themselves are not illegal and do not constitute direct evidence of any intelligence activity. However, precisely because of their widespread use, they can be exploited for various forms of misuse.

If their users were revealed, the Russian side would find it much easier to claim that they were IT specialists, video producers, or live streaming teams, than to explain the use of specialized military technology.

According to security sources, this represents a well-known doctrine called "plausible deniability", which is related to the way Russian structures operate.

Based on doubts regarding the purpose of the stay and the legality of the use of the found devices, the inspectors for foreigners, in accordance with the law, made a decision to terminate the residence permits of the three Russian citizens.

"After the decisions were delivered, the persons left the territory of Montenegro," the official announcement of the Police Directorate states.

According to the authorities, the state prosecutor at the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Pljevlja was immediately notified of this serious security incident.

It is further stated that the Police Directorate, in close cooperation with the National Security Agency (ANB), is undertaking further coordinated measures and actions to accurately determine all circumstances related to the purpose of their stay, the manner of illegal introduction of the equipment into Montenegro, the planned use of the seized equipment, as well as the concrete reasons for its use on the territory of the state.

"The public will be informed in a timely manner about the results of all verifications. The Police Directorate and the National Security Agency will continue coordinated activities aimed at protecting internal security, maintaining a stable security environment and taking timely measures provided for by law," concludes the announcement of the Montenegrin security structures.

This action, according to Montenegrin authorities, demonstrates the determination of security institutions to protect constitutional order and strengthen Euro-Atlantic standards in the face of potential threats to national security.