Russia’s unlikely Paris Hilton

For several weeks now the Russian blogosphere has been abuzz with discussions of a bid by Yulia Yalovitsyna, a 29-year marine biologist from Karelia, for what has been dubbed "the best job in the world". Yalovitsyna was the only Russian among more than 34,000 people who had applied for  the job of caretaker of Hamilton ...

For several weeks now the Russian blogosphere has been abuzz with discussions of a bid by Yulia Yalovitsyna, a 29-year marine biologist from Karelia, for what has been dubbed "the best job in the world". Yalovitsyna was the only Russian among more than 34,000 people who had applied for  the job of caretaker of Hamilton Island, off the Australian coast. The job is not bad at all: it pays around $95,000 USD for a mere six months of such heavy duties as- and I am quoting from the official job description - "...sampling a new luxury spa treatment at qualia on Hamilton Island, trying out new snorkelling gear on Heron Island, or bushwalking on Hinchinbrook Island".

For several weeks now the Russian blogosphere has been abuzz with discussions of a bid by Yulia Yalovitsyna, a 29-year marine biologist from Karelia, for what has been dubbed "the best job in the world". Yalovitsyna was the only Russian among more than 34,000 people who had applied for  the job of caretaker of Hamilton Island, off the Australian coast. The job is not bad at all: it pays around $95,000 USD for a mere six months of such heavy duties as- and I am quoting from the official job description – "...sampling a new luxury spa treatment at qualia on Hamilton Island, trying out new snorkelling gear on Heron Island, or bushwalking on Hinchinbrook Island".

The Russian biologist made it to the list of top 50 candidates and up until today was running second, enjoying wild support from her fellow Russian netizens. What happened next should be filed under your "only in Russia" folder. The Moscow Times reports:

A Karelian woman vying for what Australian tourism officials call "The Best Job in the World" has been dropped from the competition after her home sex video was posted on the Internet.

Yalovitsyna said Thursday that the sex video featuring her was on the hard drive of a computer that was seized as part of a criminal investigation against her husband, who is suspected of illegally distributing pornography.

She said those who leaked the video were conducting a "calculated campaign" against her and her husband, who she maintains is innocent of any wrongdoing, RIA-Novosti reported.

Now that the video is making rounds online, she’s been dropped from the short-list by the organizers, adding to her already very visible public profile in the country. Well, what’s better: being a snorkeller on Hamilton Island or a Paris Hilton in Russia? I bet that given Yalovitsyna’s stunning looks and the rampage publicity she’s getting in Russia, she may soon have plenty of other options…

Evgeny Morozov is a fellow at the Open Society Institute and sits on the board of OSI's Information Program. He writes the Net Effect blog on ForeignPolicy.com
Tag: Russia

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