MT

“Why is Putin a crab?” was the burning question of 2009 for Russians, according to Google’s annual search report, released Tuesday.

When users enter the Russian word for “why” into Google, they are prompted with the question, which stems from a series of images circulating online that show the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s smiling face grafted onto a crustacean shell.

The bizarrely popular Internet meme can be traced to Putin’s last news conference as president, when he emotionally told Russians, “I worked like a slave.” The last two words spoken quickly could also sound like “I worked ‘like a crab.’”

While other countries’ lists were dominated by celebrity queries, Russians seemed keener on social networks and new software releases. “Download” was the single most common search, while “Windows 7” — Microsoft’s newest operating system — was listed as the fastest rising term in Russia. Mayor Yury Luzhkov was the most queried personality in Google’s news service.