President Vladimir Putin has appeared in a cameo role in a popular Russian children's cartoon, delivering a New Year's message to the nation along with a talking cat and dog, reports "Reuters".
Residents of Prostokvashino - the fictional village that gave the film its name - were stunned when the animated version of the Kremlin leader, surrounded by the dog Sharik and the cat Matroskin, greeted Russians at the beginning of the year.
Adults accompanying their children to the "Prostokvashino" theme park in Moscow were cautiously positive in their assessments si.
"Look, I don't know. I think anything can happen in an animated film. Why not?", said one woman when asked for her opinion.
Another visitor, Oksana Frolkova, pointed out that children know who Putin is and seeing him in an animated film "is probably important and interesting for them". According to her, this could generate interest from viewers outside the country as well.
Last year, Putin's cameo role was followed by the chairwoman of the board of the studio "Soyuzmultfilm" Yuliana Slasheva, who said that Russia sells animated films to former communist and Middle Eastern countries and seeks to expand its presence in China.
The president's appearance in "Prostokvashino" would be a form of "soft power" that would help promote Russia and its culture, she explained.