Putin gets Playmate... in parliament

Does Vladimir Putin at last have something to cheer about? After the recent protests against poll fiascos Maria Kozhevnikova - a Playboy playmate - has been elected to the Russian Parliament.

The daughter of Olympic champion ice hockey player Alexander Kozhevnikov, the 27-year-old actress, rose to fame after posing nude for the Russian edition of the magazine two years ago.

According to 'Sunday Telegraph' reports, she was a member of the Young Guard of Putin's political party United Russia and reports suggest her family is close to a Putin ally.