A Russian man made a name for himself as a Leonardo DiCaprio lookalike has been signed up to fight in Ukraine after reportedly becoming too overweight for roles as the Hollywood star.
Roman Burtsev, 41, picked up various acting and advert gigs playing the Oscar-winning actor, and had hoped his uncanny resemblance to the Hollywood superstar would bring him fame, fortune, and a wife and children.
The former IT specialist had a small amount of success, getting roles in ads including one for Five Lakes vodka, The Sun reports.
But Burtsev had reportedly struggled with his weight since 2016, and gradually saw the roles dry up.
Before joining the Russian military, Burtsev – who is known as the Russian DiCaprio – still lived with his parents and a cat in a rented flat provided by the state in Podolsk, near the Russian capital, Moscow.
He was said to be short on money and had been doing odd jobs at a marketplace and hardware store in recent times. It’s not clear on what basis he joined the ranks of Russia’s military.
The country has sustained horrifically high losses in Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Though fighting on the frontlines is notoriously dangerous, Putin’s constant need for more men means the state is prepared to pay new recruits well, in theory.
Those who sign contracts and complete training are entitled to a £16,000 payment, and £1,625 a month – well above the average Russian salary.
Back in July, Business Insider that Russian law at the time entitled families of soldiers killed in action a payment 8.8 million rubles, as well as another 5 million rubles from a measure which passed just after the war started.
Experts say that when combined with 1 and 3 million-ruble payments from local authorities, most families would receive one-time payments of about 14 million rubles (£111,178).
However, reports suggest getting paid isn’t always straightforward with stories circulating about the Russian ministry of defence “forgetting” to resister contracted soldiers, meaning they miss out on combat pay and payouts for their families if killed, according to Forces News.
