Former FSB colonel arrested on extortion charges

A Moscow municipal court has ordered the arrest of Mikhail Polyakov, the administrator of the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Kremlyovskaya Prachka [The Kremlin Laundress], reports Russian independent publication Mediazona, citing a court press release.

According to the case file online, Polyakov is suspected of extortion on a particularly large scale. Russian state broadcaster RBC says he is a former FSB colonel. Polyakov was arrested on June 14 and faces up to 15 years in prison.

The Telegram channel Baza reports that Polyakov received 40 million rubles ($443,200) for deleting posts from another company’s Telegram channels that reportedly contained false and discrediting information about the leadership of that company, as well as for blocking the publication of negative materials on those channels between 2020 and 2023.

RBC names another defendant in the case as Alexander Sanin, the general director of the company PSK Naslediye. He has also been charged with extortion.

Russian independent outlet iStories reports that until 2022, Polyakov headed one service for the FSB’s Office for the Protection of Constitutional Order in Moscow and the surrounding region. The service is reportedly involved in political persecutions, says iStories, citing a source close to the office.

According to the source, Polyakov oversaw a network of pro-Kremlin Telegram channels in coordination with Vladimir Putin’s deputy chief of staff, Sergey Kiriyenko. He also reportedly took orders from the Mayor of Moscow.

Polyakov is also said to have worked with the head of the Institute of Internet Development, Alexey Goreslavsky. iStories reports that the Institute of Internet Development is also involved in promoting the Kremlin’s agenda in mass media and on social networks.

The publication’s source says that Polyakov was arrested because he had started “doing business” on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels without leadership’s consent.