Is that an election in your pocket, Mr Putin? Sexy ads try to arouse interest in Russian campaign

A topless model lies in front of a Russian flag, apparently studying a campaign brochure, as a second young woman prepares to cast a vote in her lingerie.

“What happens in the polling booth stays in the polling booth,” says one page of sponsored content in the Russian edition of men’s magazine Maxim.

Another image shows a woman in black underwear seductively dropping her ballot paper into the box under the slogan, “Welcome to the world of adults”. 

In the midst of a limp election campaign, a series of sexually charged videos and images have appeared online with the apparent aim of arousing Russians’ interest in next month’s predictable presidential election.