Commander Pavel Rychgov was a highly decorated Soviet pilot, having fought on the Chinese side against Japanese occupation just before he embarked on even more heroic missions during WW2. He was promoted to commander of the Soviet air force in 1940. During WW2, he shot down numerous Nazi planes. However, many Soviet warplanes were hastily designed and manufactured under orders from Stalin. This led to a spate of accidents, causing the USSR to lose many fighter pilots.
When Germany invaded the USSR in 1941, the latter’s air force was practically crippled. Pavel correctly attributed it to the quality of Soviet planes, but instead of recognising the problem, Stalin accused Pavel of carrying out enemy work and summarily executed him along with his wife.
History does repeat itself because dictatorships are generally predictable. By the way, if not for the US and UK, Russians would be speaking German today. America’s most favoured nation is doing the same thing today.