In early October 2022, as the summer tourist season began winding down, a significant gathering took place in Pečurice, near the Port of Bar on the Montenegrin coast, attended by hundreds of citizens from Russia and Ukraine.

The event was a festival celebrating Montelibero, a libertarian community established in Pečurice in 2021 on a plot of land that its founders purchased on a hill with views of the sea. During this festival, organizers claimed that goods and services could be purchased using Montelibero’s cryptocurrency, EURMTL, according to an article by BIRN.

Montelibero positions itself as a “free society” grounded in anarcho-capitalist principles, uniting libertarians and others who seek personal and social freedom and independence in today’s world.

Alongside its own cryptocurrency, which remains unregulated by Montenegrin law, Montelibero asserts it has developed its own “judicial structure”; however, there is no public evidence supporting the existence of such a system. Additionally, the Montenegrin authorities may face challenges regarding some of the houses constructed on the land in Pečurice, as there appears to be a lack of building permits, raising potential concerns about the community’s adherence to the rule of law.

The members of Montelibero hail from various backgrounds. One of the community’s founders has connections to a lawmaker from Vladimir Putin’s ruling party, who was found guilty in the United States in 2018 of acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

This founder, along with several other Montelibero activists, also had previous associations with pro-Russian separatist authorities in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

Montenegro “almost ideal” for the libertarian movement

A significant number of Montelibero supporters are from areas of Ukraine currently under Russian occupation. The Donbas has been largely controlled by Russia since 2014, when they instigated an armed uprising in eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea.

Those who relocated to Montenegro to join Montelibero have followed in the footsteps of countless Russians who have been acquiring real estate along the Montenegrin coast since the mid-2000s. Some individuals are part of Russia’s ultra-wealthy elite; others are seeking a foothold in a nation aspiring to join the European Union. Many left to escape the repressive environment of Putin’s Russia or the strife of war-torn Ukraine, and many simply sought a brighter, sunnier locale.

In a conversation with a website connected to the Libertarian Party of Russia, a fringe political organization, Monteliber member Stanislav Karkavin expressed that they are striving to create a “private city” within Montenegro. He characterized the country as “young, poor, and weak, perpetually afflicted by internal strife.”

In writing to BIRN, Viktor Korb, a member of Montelibero’s council, characterized the community as an “extraterritorial, international, and decentralized movement.”

The objective, he indicated, is to demonstrate that “freedom is indeed superior to its absence, and that a combination of private initiative and modern technological advancements can lead to rapid improvements in people’s lives.”

“It begins with local examples and extends to the state level,” Korb stated.

“Montenegro is almost ideal for this endeavor due to its distinctive blend of geographical, political, socio-economic, and cultural traits.”

Connection to ruling party MP convicted in the US

Montelibero was first registered as a limited liability company in June 2021, with construction as its listed activity and founding capital totaling 4 euros—1 euro contributed by each of the four founders: Anton Epikhin, Igor Tolstov, Anton Guscha, and Heinrich Polyanin.

As per official documents, Epikhin possessed a controlling 51 percent stake in the company as of 2021.

Epikhin’s profile on the Russian social network VKontakte lists his last position as part of the organizing committee of “Armed Citizen,” a Russian political group focused on “firearms culture and patriotic consciousness.”

A Russian news report referenced by the Jerusalem Post noted that Epikhin was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 for making death threats against then-president Dmitry Medvedev; he claimed his remarks had been a crude joke.

In 2014, Epikhin surfaced in the Donbas amidst a pro-Russian separatist uprising, where he became the chairman of the Committee for Humanitarian Support to the government of Donetsk.

In 2016, the Center for Regional Development—an NGO based in Krasnodar, Russia—secured a grant from the Russian presidency to aid refugees from Donbas. The NGO’s director at that time was Epikhin’s brother, Dmitry, who is recorded as a primary shareholder of Montelibero, according to data from the Montenegrin Central Register of Business Entities as of last November.

Epikhin has a long-standing relationship with Maria Butina, a colleague from Altai State University in Barnaul, who was sentenced to 18 months in the US in 2018 for her involvement in a conspiracy to use political organizations, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), to create clandestine communications with American officials to sway US foreign policy favorably toward Russia.

Butina was deported back to Russia in 2019, where she currently serves as a deputy for the ruling United Russia party.

Another colleague from Altai State University, Sergei Gorbunov, informed BIRN that Epikhin and Butina maintained a close relationship.

“They were both activists, constantly organizing events,” Gorbunov recounted. “Eventually, their views diverged: Maria initiated the ‘Right to Bear Arms’ movement, while Anton became an ultra-oppositionist and established a bookstore for extremist literature.”

However, after his conviction for threatening Medvedev, “Anton abruptly shifted to patriotism,” Gorbunov added, “becoming just as much an ultra-patriot as he had previously been an ultra-oppositionist.” Although they had differing political paths, he noted, Epikhin and Butina remained in contact.

“I saw them together multiple times in Moscow.”

Butina has not responded to a request for comment from BIRN.

Links to Donbas

Among the notable figures within the Montelibero community is Aleksej Tkachuk, who also leads a non-governmental foundation in Montenegro known as the Center for Development.

Tkachuk, a Russian citizen residing in Montenegro, had previously spearheaded the youth division of the ruling United Russia party in Samara, where he participated as a city council member. While he has stepped back from direct political involvement, he indicates on his LinkedIn profile that he works as a marketing manager for Montelibero and is also active in real estate investment.

Tkachuk established the “Development Center” along with Anastasia Skiba and Anastasia Sysoeva, who are registered residents of Donetsk, located in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Skiba has affiliations with a humanitarian organization in eastern Ukraine called the Donbas Development Center, which has reportedly received funding from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The “Development Center” was registered with the Montenegrin Ministry of Public Administration, and among the documents submitted was a power of attorney bearing a notary seal from the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), a pro-Russian separated territory that Montenegro does not acknowledge. Notably, Russia officially claimed the annexation of the Donetsk region in 2022.

Despite the inclusion of the Donetsk People’s Republic’s seal, the Montenegrin Ministry of Public Administration informed BIRN that no laws were violated during the NGO registration: “The documents were submitted in compliance with the provisions of the Law on Non-Governmental Organizations,” they stated.

In a statement to BIRN, Viktor Korb described Tkachuk as “one of the numerous activists in the Montelibero movement” but clarified that the “Center for Development” is not directly linked to Montelibero.

Regarding Anastasija Skiba, Korb noted: “To my knowledge, Anastasija is acquainted with several activists in the community. She is currently engaged in her humanitarian projects elsewhere (outside Montenegro), where her expertise is most needed.”

Skiba did not respond to BIRN’s inquiry.

Korb added that Anton Epikhin relinquished his co-ownership in Montelibero due to “family health reasons” that prevent him from relocating to Montenegro.

Cryptocurrency in a Gray Area

Following the acquisition of the land, the founders developed the site, establishing an access road, facilitating the installation of electricity, creating a water tank, and implementing a sewage system, and began construction of residences. The first resident moved in by the end of May 2023.

By mid-2024, two residential structures are expected to be completed: a three-story building housing eight units and a glamping house. Works on additional residential buildings and various private houses are also in progress.

Yet, in the cadastral register of Montenegro, at least three of these edifices are designated as lacking building permits.

The Bar municipality has not responded to BIRN’s requests for comment.

Concerns have also been raised regarding the use of cryptocurrencies within the community.

Since the fall of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in mid-2020, which had been in power for approximately 30 years, the current Montenegrin government has discussed the potential of transforming the country into a cryptocurrency hub.

In April 2022, former Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić granted citizenship to Vitalik Buterin, the Russian-Canadian co-founder of Ethereum, a blockchain platform designed for decentralized financial applications. Buterin became recognized as the youngest crypto billionaire at just 27 years, according to Forbes.

However, cryptocurrencies still lack legal regulation in Montenegro.

“The Central Bank has no jurisdiction over crypto assets, and investors must be cautious about the high financial risks involved,” stated Zorica Kalezić, Vice Governor of the Central Bank, in response to BIRN.

Korb replied to inquiries sent via the VKontakte network with a standard promotional message regarding Montelibero, without addressing questions related to cryptocurrencies or the absence of building permits.

“Free Market and Nonviolence”

The philosophy behind Montelibero bears some resemblance to Liberland, a self-proclaimed “independent sovereign state” established in 2015 on a 6-square-kilometer stretch of no-man’s land bordering Croatia and Serbia by a member of the Czech libertarian Free Citizens party.

The founders of Montelibero assert that their community operates “on the basis of voluntary agreements and open market principles,” attracting individuals who prefer minimal governmental interference in their lives.

“If you cherish human life, respect private property, value the skills of others and honest work, desire a government that stays out of your life, and believe that government typically generates more problems than it solves—it’s likely you’re a libertarian, regardless of whether you’ve come across the term before,” the Montelibero website states.

The community claims that individuals from “over-regulated EU countries, chiefly Germany,” have joined its ranks.

As per Montelibero’s estimates, its activists have initiated over 100 businesses.

Members initially allocated their capital to the Montelibero Investment Fund (MIF), which is coordinated by the EURMTL system and managed by the 20 largest shareholders. The fund aims to draw investments globally and contribute to the development of Montelibero, with participants promoting the initiative through weekly breakfast meetings and lunches.

In November 2022, Montelibero received recognition at the libertarian Free Cities conference held in Prague, where it was awarded for the best community idea.

Viktor Korb emphasized that Montelibero has no plans to propose extrajudicial jurisdiction in Montenegro in the foreseeable future, a move that could challenge its relations with Montenegrin authorities, who are unlikely to accept that foreigners disregard state laws.

Instead, he affirmed that the community aims to forge “mutually beneficial partnerships” with local and state governments and to attract interest from business, media, cultural, and civic leaders.

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