Russia: Former Aeroflot CEO Mikhail Poluboyarinov arrested in apparent blackmail of Defence Minister Belousov by Putin.
Putin commonly employs this Stalinist tactic of arresting friends and even family members of his top officials who dissatisfy him.
Putin has done the same to his previous Defence Minister Shoigu.
Now it’s Belousov’s turn to suffer.
VChK-OGPU source inside the government explains:“Mikhail is an excellent professional; he had his own plan for Aeroflot, which he was gradually implementing. But then the war broke out, and he was informed of the decision to ‘dump’ all the lessors (stop paying leases to foreign aircraft owners) and terminate maintenance contracts for the Boeings and Airbuses. He then had a purely human reaction. He said he didn’t understand how he could possibly continue working under those circumstances and decided to resign on his own.
Putin took this as an act of flight and betrayal. Since Belousov had long caught Putin’s eye for some reason (incidentally, no one knows why) and Putin was satisfied with Belousov at that moment, they decided not to imprison Poluboyarinov (because of his relationship with Belousov). But he was permanently blacklisted by Putin, and reviving his career was a futile endeavor. By the way, it’s surprising that Mikhail ended up at Rostec. Chemezov (Rostec CEO) has a very poor opinion of Belousov. But “at the top,” things aren’t always straightforward. Now, apparently, Putin is dissatisfied with Belousov as well, and Poluboyarinov has ended up in jail.”Igor Sushko (@igorsushko)Putin’s long-standing control tactic, directly taken from Stalin: for almost every top official, someone from their innermost circle (closest friends, deputies, business partners, or even relatives) is kept in jail or under criminal investigation, while the official himself remains in his post. According to the source, Putin believes this forces officials to deliver results and show “creativity,” since the fate of their loved one now depends on their performance. The arrests have nothing to do with fighting corruption — Putin ignores corruption if the official produces impressive achievements. The mechanism works through fear: if Putin is unhappy with results, a close associate gets arrested; the official must then “atone” by over-delivering on impossible tasks. Examples include governors (especially Kondratyev of Kuban), Mishustin, Kiriyenko, Manturov, and especially Sergei Shoigu, whose entire entourage was imprisoned while he himself was spared, though constantly punished.
Putin evasively handles requests to free the arrested without ever giving a straight yes or no.
— VChK-OGPU— https://x.com/igorsushko/status/2055091752219095426— @igorsushko Jun 24, 2026
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