Irkutsk Duma member expelled from United Russia for squatting beside coffins

Pro-Kremlin political party United Russia has expelled Irkutsk Region Duma deputy Anastasia Myakina for filming a video of herself doing thigh exercises. The video was posted on Instagram.

In its statement, the party said that Myakina was expelled for unacceptable behavior at the workplace. She works in a local burial enterprise and recorded a video of herself squatting against a background of coffins, wreaths, and other funeral paraphernalia.

The video was captioned “gorizhop” – an exercise for burning fat in the buttock area. The recording then disappeared from Instagram, but was posted on YouTube.

"I do not know much about technology, so I did not think that this video would be available to the general public. Now I do not know what to do, I can be fired," said Myakina in an interview with publication Life.

"Anastasia Myakina's behavior in the workplace that violates all common moral standards and was an unpleasant surprise. It is simply unacceptable. I believe that the local political council made the right decision, one that represents the opinion of all party members," said Svetlana Bragina, head of the executive committee of Irkutsk's regional branch of United Russia.