Tobias Ellwood posted a photo slamming Vladimir Putin’s new defence minister this week, criticising his elaborate uniform.
The only problem? It was not a real photo, but a photoshop.
Ellwood, a Tory MP who is a former chair of the defence select committee, shared an image of Andrey Belousov in a highly-decorated military uniform, completely covered in medals and honours.
Ellwood posted on X: “This is ’General Andrey Belousov –
“He’s an economist by trade – and now Russia’s new Defence Minister.
“He’s either borrowed the uniform or had a very good first day at the office.”
Actually – as X’s community notes showed – this was a photo of the Russian aide’s head photoshopped onto the body of Hollywood actor Jason Isaacs.
Isaacs wore this exact outfit when he played Field Marshal Zhukov, the head of the Soviet Army, in the 2017 film The Death of Stalin.
The Tory MP did later delete the post – but here’s a screenshot anyway.
And here’s a look at Isaacs in character, wearing exactly the same outfit seen in Ellwood’s post.
The film is actually a satirical film about the cult of personality around Stalin, and was later banned in Russia.
Belousov was promoted amid a shock reshuffle within the Putin’s top officials earlier this week, after the Russian president suddenly sacked his long-time ally Sergei Shoigu following 12 years in the post.
Reshuffles are incredibly rare in Russia, so it’s seen as a sign of discontent within the Kremlin, while the Ukraine war drags on.