18 June,2011 07:27 AM IST | | Agencies
Russia's government sought yesterday to douse a frenzy of Internet comment after it hired an attractive former model and Miss Moscow finalist as a personal photographer to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The government confirmed the hiring of Yana Lapikova to join the pool of Putin's official photographers as an intern but insisted that she was chosen on the grounds of her abilities alone.
A prominent Russian blogger posted scantily-clad photographs of the sultry brunette's modelling past, provoking a flurry of comments questioning the real reason she was hired. "Yes, I am working as an intern in the prime ministerial pool," said Lapikova. "Working as a photographer is the dream of my life."
She added, "It's true I took part in Miss Moscow. Clearly, this was a mistake that I'm paying for now. It was not worth it. Working as a photographer is more important than taking part in a competition." Clearly irritated by the speculation, the government responded to questions about Lapikova's apparent lack of professional experience by saying that it was not easy finding photographers for the official pool.
"We do not hire photographers according to gender. She is genuinely a good photographeru00a0-- her past as a model does not concern us. In any case, it is not a crime," said Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
