A Russian computer programmer who went viral thanks to his uncanny resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio has been sent to fight in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine after losing out on modeling jobs due to weight gain.
Roman Burtzev’s viral fame came long before Russian president Vladimir Putin sent troops across the border into Ukraine, when he shared a picture of himself on a dating website in 2016.
Burtzev might never have appeared in a Hollywood movie – at least, not as far as I’m aware – but you could definitely be forgiven for thinking he belonged on the red carpet.
Leonardo DiCaprio had just won an Oscar when Roman Burtzev went viral ( Emma McIntyre/WireImage)
With his piercing blue eyes and light brown hair, the computer programmer bore a striking resemblance to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, DiCaprio.
At the time Burtzev went viral, DiCaprio was one year out of filming The Revenant, which earned the star the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2016 – so it definitely wasn’t a bad time to be looking like the actor.
Burtzev is eight years younger than DiCaprio and was 33 when he went viral, but that didn’t stop modeling agencies snapping him up for photoshoot opportunities.
The Russian lookalike was able to earn a living thanks to his resemblance to DiCaprio – so much so that he decided to give up his programming job to become a full-time Leonardo DiCaprio impersonator.
Unfortunately, however, Burtzev found his career sinking like the Titanic when Covid-19 swept across the globe, and he eventually gave up his modeling career.
Roman Burtzev launched a career as a DiCaprio lookalike (East2West)
In 2021, he told The Mirror: “The problems began with the introduction of restrictions in April 2020 and now people have forgotten about me.”
Burtzev said that he also lost out on some modelling jobs after gaining weight, explaining he had tried ‘many methods for weight loss’.
Then after Russian troops began their military operation in Ukraine, Burtzev signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
Speaking to Gazeta.Ru earlier this month, he said: “I signed the contract on September 19. It was a difficult decision, I thought about it for several months. I can’t say where I am or what I’m doing.”
By signing his contract and undergoing fight training, he qualifies for $20,000 – which is then followed by $2,106 a month while he remains on the frontline. And if he dies in action, then his family are qualified for up to $28,000.
The invasion of Ukraine began February 2022, meaning the country is now approaching its third winter in a state of combat.
According to an update from the United Nations on October 22, Ukraine’s population has declined by approximately 10 million people since the invasion began, with millions of residents having fled the country to seek refuge elsewhere.
A collapse in fertility and deaths caused as a result of the war have also contributed to the declining population.
