Former Aeroflot CEO Mikhail Poluboyarinov Arrested in Moscow Russia’s latest high-profile arrest looks less like routine white-collar policing and more like another opaque move in the Kremlin’s internal chess game. What’s clear is that a man once trusted to run both Aeroflot and a major state lender is now behind bars; what’s not clear is why, and why now.

Opposition-leaning outlets agree on the basics: a Moscow court has arrested former Aeroflot chief Mikhail Poluboyarinov (also rendered Polyuboyarinov) on abuse-of-office charges, following reports from the independent outlet Mediazona. The Tverskoy Court’s decision leaves the length of his detention “unknown,” with no detailed explanation of the alleged crime.

Where they sharpen the picture is in the context. Meduza emphasizes that Poluboyarinov’s case likely traces back not to his time at Aeroflot but to his earlier role on the board of state development corporation VEB.RF, noting that a current VEB.RF deputy chairman, Artyom Dovlatov, was recently put under house arrest on the same charge linked to controversial 2016 bank bailouts. Novaya Gazeta Europe similarly ties the arrest to his VEB.RF past and stresses that investigators have not disclosed what exactly triggered the case.

Both outlets underline Poluboyarinov’s political exposure: he left Aeroflot in March 2022 “after coming under sanctions” from the European Union over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Novaya adds that leaks from Russian databases indicate there is only one person in the country with his full name and patronymic, effectively confirming the defendant is the 60‑year‑old former airline boss.

On the key question—whether this is a legitimate corruption probe or a factional score-settling—both opposition sources are notably cautious. They point to the pattern (multiple VEB.RF executives under fire, silence from state conglomerate Rostec where he later worked, and a potential 10-year sentence) but stop short of declaring it a purge. In today’s Moscow, ambiguity may be the strongest signal of all.