Twitter users seem to have had a really good laugh following the post. Here are some of the memes that have gone viral:
Attn: Owen Jones.
— The Core (@SocialM85897394) 18 марта 2018 г.
I am 99% certain Corbyn's hat is NOT Photoshopped in this one mate. Are you happy now? What's with you and hats anyway? I thought Korbinski wanted to be a Russian diplomat, so he will be proud of this? pic.twitter.com/Bkng4csa7R
This is a genuine photo….I took it myself pic.twitter.com/OXP6iwW6um
— Marco Berghanz (@MBerghanz) 18 марта 2018 г.
— Seb Brown (@sebbrown86) 18 марта 2018 г.
Some Twitter users even managed to see some anti-Corbyn bias on the BBC’s Newsnight production:
The BBC is getting worse. Not content with adding a Lenin cap to Corbyn's head they've also photoshopped in lifelong pro-Russian Stalin fan Seumas Milne & made it look like he's an important figure in Jez's team. pic.twitter.com/nSMamxBQL6
— David Ross (@RossFootball) 19 марта 2018 г.
How dare #Newsnight photoshop a Russian hat on Corbyn to make him look like a Commie? When has he ever wore a Russian hat? pic.twitter.com/AHeX3hVnSl
— Daily Referendum (@Daily_Ref) 17 марта 2018 г.
Others wonder why Russians have issued donations to the Conservatives instead of injecting money into "Russian stooge" Corbyn:
If Corbyn is such a Russian stooge, how come the Russian oligarchs give all their money to the Conservatives?
— Joseph Dickerson (@joekaren46) 19 марта 2018 г.
~Andrew Neil
BBC staffers officially denied photo shopping the cap, but the pendulum had already been set in motion. BuzzFeed has even launched an experiment, grabbing a similar looking cap at Topshop and trying it on a number of people.
They were then asked one and the same question: "What do you think, does the accessory make you look more Russian?" Reactions differed, but netizens increasingly suggested making a similar shot against the backdrop of the Kremlin, just to stand a better chance of looking Russian.