It is being billed as the Kremlin's soft soap battle as both Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and his strongman premier Vladimir Putin suddenly appoint glamorous women 'personal photographers' to their teams.
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| Katya Shtukina, new photographer of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev |
Yana in action clutching a camera |
The move to boost their respective images comes as the pair have failed to announce a decision on which of them will stand for the presidency in elections next year.
Some pundits see an increasing rivalry between the ruling tandem, amid claims the appointment of the young women photographers are aimed at galvanising their appeal among Russian voters.
Most surprising to the Russian media is Putin's choice of Yana Lapikova, a former Miss Moscow contestant whose photographic work is not widely known, but who was labelled 'a sexy brunette' after pictures of her in lingerie poses were revealed in the media.
Meanwhile, Medvedev's choice is the highly-rated Katya Shtukina, a former Kremlin pool photographer with Izvestia newspaper.
Revealing the war of the soft focus lenses, Russia's top blogger Rustem Adagamov, himself a picture editor, wrote: 'I have always watched with great pleasure how calmly and professionally Katya works. She is an incredibly nice person, a beautiful woman and a real professional.'
Of Putin's choice, he said: 'I asked my colleagues -- photographers -- about her. Nobody could say anything. Nobody has known her.'
Medvedev was so taken up with amateur photographer Katya's talents that he is reported to have personally presented her with a top Canon camera to assist her in taking official pictures.
As the Moscow media became gripped by the story this week, Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper enthused: 'Katya is indeed a beauty. She is tall and beautifully built, with striking green eyes and long chestnut hair. '
Spin doctors for both politicians sought to play down the significance of the appointment of the photographers.
'I don't know why everybody in blogs is in such agitation, but that's true -- Yana Lapikova is really working with us,' said Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
He stressed she was 'still on trial', adding: 'It's not the sex of photographers but the professionalism that matters for us.'
Medvedev's press secretary Natalia Timakova stressed Katya was 'a superb professional' adding that to be a personal photographer for the president 'means not only the highest grade of professionalism, but also good reporter's qualities'.
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| Medvedev's arguably more accomplished photographer proves she can be be just as alluring posing intimately on her sofa |
Both emphasised that the two leaders had teams of personal photographers who the women would be joining.
Yana herself said she regretted her participation in the 2008 Miss Moscow contest.
'It was a mistake in my life, for which I am now paying,' she said. 'It wasn't worth it. The work of a photographer is more important for me.'
She described the chance to be a personal photographer on Putin's team as a 'dream' and said she previously worked for a Russian news agency.
Meanwhile Katya expressed indignation at the sudden interest in the female appointments. 'Maybe I'm interesting first of all as a professional,' she said.
However one pundit said: 'Before now, there has never been a woman in the president's personal team of photographers. Then both Medvedev and Putin get them at the same time. It looks like an image race to me.'
© Daily Mail, London |
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