The former CEO of Russia’s state-owned airline Aeroflot has been arrested and faces corruption charges, Russian media reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
A judge from Moscow’s Tver District Court ordered Mikhail Poluboyarinov to be placed in pre-trial detention on charges of abuse of power, according to the exiled news outlet Mediazonaю
The exact details of the allegations against him remain unclear.
Poluboyarinov headed Aeroflot from November 2020 to March 2022, stepping down from the airline shortly after the European Union sanctioned him.
In 2023, he joined the state corporation Rostec, according to the news outlet RBC.
Before his tenure at Aeroflot and Rostec, Poluboyarinov held prominent roles at Vnesheconombank, the State Transport Leasing Company and the state development corporation VEB.RF.
A senior business executive told the newspaper Vedomosti that the criminal probe may stem from Poluboyarinov’s work at VEB.RF between 2009 and 2019.
Another source familiar with the case said that the specific incident under law enforcement scrutiny took place in 2016, but did not provide further details.
Artem Dovlatov, a deputy chairman of VEB.RF and board member of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation, was arrested in May, Vedomosti wrote. He was placed under house arrest on charges of abuse of power related to a 2016 bank reorganization.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
