Moscow: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin has appointed a glamorous former model as his 'personal
photographer', triggering a flurry of comments why she was
hired.
25-year-old ex-model Yana Lapikova, who contested for
the Miss Moscow title in 2008, would work as an intern for
Putin's two photographers and may eventually become a
full-timer, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed
yesterday.
"She is really a good photographer, and her modelling
past is of no interest to us whatsoever because it's not a
crime," Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA-Novosti.
Peskov said the two regular photographers are
"squeezed dry" by their exhaustive schedule, which he compared
to "penal servitude."
But he said that finding one more photographer was
hard because government pay is no match for salaries at news
agencies.
In an interview to Biznes (Business) FM radio, Yana
said she was employed by Izvestia daily and currently is on
leave before taking up the new job.
Samples of her work, posted on drugoi.livejournal.com,
include scantily-clad photographs of glamorous models, cats
and birthday cakes, have drawn scathing comments over her
appointment.
In the interview to the radio, Yana claimed that she
has already worked in the Kremlin pool, covering President
Dmitry Medvedev.
PTI
First Published: Friday, June 17, 2011, 18:45