Russian general caught with pants down after failing to stop attack on spy plane

A VIDEO appearing to show a Russian military leader performing a striptease was leaked yesterday after a £274million spy plane was blown up in Belarus on his watch.

Lt Gen Aleksandr Matovnikov was seen dancing naked in a 44-second clip shared on the Telegram messaging app. A message alongside the video accused him of being “an avid connoisseur of restaurants and ladies in Minsk”.

He “likes to shift the responsibility for making decisions to his subordinate officers. The general is more involved in creating similar video content for his girlfriends,” it added.

The video was leaked after a Russian A-50 spy aircraft was severely damaged by anti-government partisans in the former Soviet country.

Lt Gen Matovnikov is the deputy chief of Russia’s land forces, with responsibility for Moscow’s military presence in Belarus. But the caption suggests the 57-year-old is more interested in womanising than in the protection of military assets.

Shaming opponents by leaking compromising content is a traditional tactic used in Russia, according to the social media military historian known as Chriso_wiki.

“The leak of the video is very likely intended to further embarrass Matovnikov for the operational failures that reportedly enabled Belarusian partisans to attack Machulichi air base near Minsk yesterday and damage an A-50 surveillance aircraft,” he said.

The Belarusian regime has allowed its airfields and territories to be used by Moscow to stage attacks on Ukraine.

The plane had been used to locate potential targets for Russia’s fleet of MIG fighter jets stationed in Belarus.

Bypol, a group of Belarusian security officials who resigned in protest against the brutal crushing of anti-regime protests in 2020, claimed responsibility.

Lt Gen Matovnikov has previously been described as close to Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president.

He is a former member of Moscow’s influential security council.