Russian authorities detained a former Federal Security Service (FSB) colonel who reportedly ran the "Kremlin Laundress" Telegram channel which covers internal Kremlin politics, a crackdown that hints at rising tensions between the government and its principal security agency.
Russian broadcaster RBC, citing a source close to Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, reported that Mikhail Polyakov is suspected of extorting influential politicians and businessmen. Moscow City police detained him at his apartment on July 14 on suspicion of extortion.
Independent investigative news outlet Important Stories reported that Polyakov, who worked with the FSB until 2022, was arrested for starting to "do business" in pro-Kremlin Telegram channels without the consent of the leadership. He reportedly worked in coordination with Putin's deputy chief of staff, Sergey Kiriyenko, and took orders from the mayor of Moscow.
Earlier, investigators alleged that Polyakov received a large amount of money between 2020 and 2023 from a Russian company for promising not to publish negative information about the firm online.
News of his detention comes soon after an aborted mutiny attempt by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin—an event that posed the greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin since he came to power more than two decades ago.
Polyakov's detention suggests that the Kremlin "may intend to suppress speculations about internal politics following Wagner's rebellion," the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank, said.
Russian sources claimed that Polyakov was administrator for the "Kremlin Laundress" channel and was either affiliated with or an administrator of the Telegram channels "Brief" and "Siloviki," although the latter two have denied any links with the former FSB colonel.
"These three telegram channels routinely speculate on internal Kremlin politics and dynamics between Russian political factions and have promoted notable rumors within the Russian information space," the ISW said, noting that channels that speculate about internal Kremlin politics represent a specific niche of the Russian media and social media landscape.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
Russian state-run news agency Tass also cited a source in law enforcement as saying the administrator of the Telegram channel "Kremlin Laundress" was detained on suspicion of extortion in Moscow, but said "the detainee has not yet been charged."
RBC noted that Russian authorities have detained a number of administrators of popular Telegram channels over the past year in extortion cases, including former editor-in-chief of Tatler Russia magazine Arian Romanovsky, and Kirill Sukhanov, media director for Russian journalist and TV personality Ksenia Sobchak.
The pair were accused of taking money for "blocks", which guarantee that a person or company will not be mentioned negatively in the media.
Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
