House speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) kicked two Republicans who voted to end his speakership off of the Rules Committee, prompting another opponent to compare the GOP leader to Russia’s authoritarian president.

Representative Ted Yoho (R., Fla.) described the punishment as “something I would assume Vladimir Putin would do,” according to Roll Call, before greeting other lawmakers with the words “welcome to the new USSR.” Yoho ran for speaker and received two votes. Representative Daniel Webster (R., Fla.) received twelve votes. Webster and Representative Rich Nugent (R., Fla.) were both kicked off the Rules Committee.

The move is hardly surprising. Leadership has an incentive to lower the boom on challengers in order to discourage future lawmakers from running for speaker against the incumbent.

Rules Committee chairman Pete Sessions (R., Texas) pointed out that the panel works for Boehner, more than any other. “The committee works at the behest of the speaker,” Sessions said, per Roll Call, “and the speaker — I believe any speaker — would want and need a person focused on that agenda.”

After the 2012 elections, GOP leadership took Representative Tim Huelskamp (R., Kan.) and Representative Justin Amash (R., Mich.) from their respective committees for voting against Paul Ryan’s budget, among other things. Amash and Huelskamp voted against Boehner continuing as speaker on Tuesday.