A Playboy playmate has been elected to the Russian parliament by the country's gaffe-prone PM Vladimir Putin.
The Russian leader has hired former naked model Maria Kozhevnikova, 27, as an MP.
It is hoped that Putin's new acquisition will bring him some cheer after recent accusations of election fraud.
Maria — now an actress — posed nude for the Russian edition of the magazine two years ago after breaking up with her boyfriend.
She featured on the cover and seven revealing pages were devoted to her inside the magazine.
Like ex-spy and glamour icon Anna Chapman, Maria was a member of the Young Guard of Putin's political party United Russia, which is currently facing allegations of vote-rigging after this month winning a narrow overall majority in parliament.
After being confirmed as the new MP for ice-clad Tomsk in Siberia, Maria said: "For me this is an absolutely big event in my life.
"I'm just an ordinary citizen of the Russian Federation. With the problems I face every day, now I'll be provided a platform where I can speak up the difficulties and offer solutions."
She insisted: "I think now the time has come when the young people's voice is listened to. The future of our country belongs to young people, and we must also be involved.
"I faced the problems of not being able to find a job after college, or buy an apartment by myself." - www.thesun.co.uk
