OK, this is getting ridiculous (albeit amusing).
The latest bit of Russian electoral erotica just hit the web courtesy of Eduard Limonov and the Other Russia opposition group.
The video features three young women decked out in tight black minidresses, high heels, and sunglasses stepping out of a late-model Mercedes and entering an apparently abandoned house. As they climb the staircase, they each pull out pistols.
"The level of corruption and theft has exceeded all conceivable limits. If this continues, Russia will soon disappear from the world arena," the female narrator says. "We believe that Vladimir Putin has discredited himself as a politician and national leader. He must go."
The girls then enter a room and take aim at a row of wooden figurine bears with the inscription: "The party of crooks and thieves."
The narrator then asks: "What are you prepared to do so we have a normal president?" The women then tear open their dresses to reveal tank tops embroidered with hand grenades -- the symbol of Limonov's banned National Bolshevik Party. (See video above.)
The recent video craze was kicked off last month by a group of scantily clad young women who described themselves as "Putin's Army." That video starred an iPhone-sporting schoolgirl protagonist calling herself Diana, who called on Russian women to show their support for Putin by ripping off their clothes. The winner, Diana informed viewers, would get a new iPad.
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Weeks later, a rival video by young female supporters of President Dmitry Medvedev hit the web. In the video, Veronica and Anna describe themselves as "Medvedev's Girls" and say they are "prepared to do anything for Dmitry Anatolyevich."
Walking through a park, the young women, dressed in short-shorts and high heels, then express support for the president's drive to get Russians to drink less alcohol. At the end of that video, they tell viewers, "So it's beer, or us." They then -- wait for it -- pull off their shirts.
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I'm not even going to try to put an analytical spin on all of this. (All I will say at this point is that the "Putin's Army" and "Medvedev's Girls" videos were obviously sanctioned by the authorities, while Limonov's clearly was not.)
If anybody else wants to have a go at interpreting all this, have at it in the comments (or on our Facebook page). I usually refrain from posting curiosities like this on "Power Vertical." But, hey, it's Friday and I decided to have a little fun.
Have a nice weekend everybody.
-- Brian Whitmore
