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Russian and British opposition media have echoed a new sex scandal involving the Kremlin, after it was revealed that the new Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, who is also known as a close confidant of Putin, used Ilyushin-76 military aircraft (worth over $100 million) to transport his secret girlfriend around Russia.
23-year-old Maria Shalaeva from Yekaterinburg has posted videos and photos on social media showing that she was sent by military plane on a weekend trip to Rostov-on-Don, where the main headquarters of the Russian Armed Forces is located.
In her now-deleted posts, the charming blonde writes that she traveled to an airport closed to civilians, and that her boyfriend "from the Kremlin" had arranged for her to have a manicure there.
"Who says planes don't fly to Rostov? They do, but not for everyone. Anyway, here I am again in Rostov. I can't leave it," she wrote.
She also revealed that she took her three-year-old son, Tim, with her on the trip, raising suspicions that the child could be the son of her boyfriend, Belousov. "Three years old, and already flying on a military plane!" Maria wrote.
Meanwhile, in one of the posted videos, a man with graying hair appears with his back straight, raising suspicions that it could be 66-year-old Belousov, Russia's new defense minister and a bureaucrat close to Putin. Although there is no definitive evidence, independent sources such as Belarusian media outlet Nexta have mentioned Belousov as being involved in the sexual affair.
Shalaeva, who has a history of provocative posts, has hinted in some of them that her partner is Belousov. "He is not a military man! Not even FSB! I know who he is, but I dare not say," she wrote.
A scandal is brewing in Russia after 23-year-old blogger Maria Shalaeva posted a video of her and her son flying to Rostov on a military plane.
— Natalka (@NatalkaKyiv) July 11, 2025
Note: Rostov-on-Don Airport has been closed since February 24, 2022 for an indefinite period.
On her Instagram page (Instagram is… pic.twitter.com/YOTiZUQ74J
The scandal has sparked outrage in military and security circles, especially over the potential for sensitive information to be leaked through her posts. One of the photos posted shows details of planes flying into Rostov and who organized the flight.
A retired military official, Major General Vladimir Popov, said that “all of them will be found and punished.” He stressed that the main responsibility lies with the Minister of Defense and that such irresponsible acts will not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, pro-Kremlin blogger Andrei Medvedev added that "the military counterintelligence service has plenty of work to do."
"I can imagine how much information the SBU and Western agencies get just by following social networks," he added.
The scandal erupted at a sensitive time for the Kremlin, following the mysterious death of former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit, who was fired on July 7 and found dead just hours later. Although it was officially reported as a suicide by gunshot, independent Russian media outlets such as SOTA report that his body bore signs of violence and torture.
This development further deepens the crisis of confidence in the Russian ruling elite and raises serious questions about national security and the morality of the top leadership.
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