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Russian Model Strips Down to Protest Low Bus Fares

A Russian model has tried to make a point about public transport by stripping naked on a local bus in the Irkutsk region, a news report said Monday.

Liana Klevtsova, 19, stripped naked to show solidarity with commercial bus drivers, who recently went on strike to force regional authorities to raise the price of fares, LifeNews tabloid reported.

A blurred-out video shot by LifeNews shows Klevtsova posing naked in the aisle as a driver watches on, though no other passengers appear to be on the bus. A photo published in the report also shows the model fully clothed while the same driver sits naked in his cabin.

Photographer Alexandra Timofeyeva told LifeNews the idea to strip naked had been Klevtsova's “spontaneous” idea.

“If the government does not adopt a swift solution to this problem and establish an optimal price for public transport, it will inevitably undress passengers or drivers. No one wants to work at a loss,” Timofeyeva said.

It was not clear from the LifeNews report whether anyone else was planning to take part in the naked protest, which the model has called “Travel Cost: So Necessary.”

It is not the first time that Klevtsova has stripped down in order to attract attention to public issues.

The model has previously whipped off her clothes to attract public attention to rising gas prices as well as increasing mortgage rates in Irkutsk, LifeNews reported.

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