Mikhail Abdalkin will appear in court next week to face accusations that he discredited the Russian armed forces by posting a video of himself with spaghetti draped over his ears.
Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
A lawmaker in the Russian region of Samara who mocked President Vladimir Putin's annual address to lawmakers says he has been summoned to meet with police. Mikhail Abdalkin's photo showing him listening to Putin's speech on February 21 with noodles on his ears went viral on the Internet. The phrase "to hang noodles on someone's ears" in colloquial Russian means "to lie to someone." Abdalkin, who is a member of the Communist party, was ordered to come in for police questioning on March 1. A day earlier, the Samara regional parliament condemned Abdalkin's post, calling it "impermissible."
According to Sky News, he faces a hearing in Court on March 7. Abdalkin claims complete innocence.
When Abdalkin posted his video shortly afterwards on "V Kontakte", Russia's equivalent of Facebook, he added a caption saying he had been asked to watch the speech by the deputy chair of the Samara parliament.
"I'm in full support, totally agree, great performance," he added. "I haven't heard anything like it in the last 23 years. Pleasantly surprised."
Whether Mikhail Abdalkin is trolling them hard or actually believes this is anyone's guess. I imagine his hearing and subsequent trial will be brief.
