Creator of Russia's largest military analysis channel speaks to 247 and plans global expansion.

247 - The Venezuelan capital, Caracas, hosted a powerful gathering of international media personalities last week. Coming from different parts of the world, they met for the "Voices of the New World" forum, which featured a full day of debates at the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex.

Among the participants was Mikhail Zvinchuk, founder of Rybar—the largest military analysis channel on Telegram, with over one million followers. On the sidelines of the event, Zvinchuk gave an exclusive interview to Brazil 247In his interview, he revisited Rybar's history, explained its mission to promote what he calls "information guerrilla warfare," and revealed plans for the network's global expansion.

"The story began in 2018 when I was bored working in the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The channel started as an anonymous blog about the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Before that, I had worked as an interpreter and military advisor in Iraq and Syria. My goal was to present a different perspective on the West," he said.

"In 2020, I started working at the Wagner Group and, in just one year, I became the organization's media manager. In that role, my task was to create war information cells—guerrilla warfare cells—around the world, forming a unified network for that purpose. Since the beginning of the Special Military Operation, I left Wagner to dedicate myself to developing my own project and analysis center," he explained.

"Over these three and a half years, we've gained one and a half million followers," he stated, regarding Rybar's overwhelming success.

Zvinchuk ironically remarked that he had also "earned" an extensive list of European countries that had sanctioned him. Another "achievement" was the reward offered by the United States government last October for allegedly interfering in the American elections: $10 million for information about him, Rybar, and his team. 

"But I travel here and to other places without any problem," he said. 

He also denied promoting an ultra-patriotic viewpoint in his analyses, and outlined goals for global expansion, including in Venezuela: "We spread narratives based on traditionalism and common sense. We are not ultra-patriotic Russians. We recognize the problems and talk about them honestly — and this stance has earned us more credibility."

"Now, my focus is on developing media courses for specific governments. We operate in Africa and recently started working in Venezuela, where we train security teams in information warfare, in addition to also operating in Asia," he concluded. 

"Voices from the New World" has established itself as an annual forum that has transformed into a strategic alliance, aiming to serve as a starting point for strengthening and disseminating the truth of the peoples of the Global South. 

During the meeting, other speakers advocated, for example, the creation of sovereign digital platforms and the use of social media as tools to break through the media siege and confront negative propaganda directed against nations of the Global South.