"Only three hours ago, we received new information about the former Prime Minister, who has been taken under escort to Hamovnichesky Court..."
The above translation is taken from a controversial mock video showing Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin behind bars, tried on charges of terrorism and theft. According to News24, the video is a collage of footage shot during the trial of Putin's opponent Mikhail Khodorkovksy, who was tried for tax evasion and then convicted of fraud in 2010.
The video has already been viewed over 2 million times since it was uploaded on YouTube on Monday. According to AFP, it was made by Lancelot Video Distributors to advertise a documentary based on book by poisoned former spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Lancelot director Vadim Korovin told AFP that he never expected the video to receive so many hits. "Many people would really prefer to see him in jail," he added, referring to Putin.
Vladimir Putin is the main candidate for Russia's upcoming presidential elections, scheduled to be held on March 4. Yet the current prime minster faces unprecedented opposition, as tens of thousands of Russians have protested against a third Putin term.