Vladimir Putin’s alleged mistress wore a £1,915 from a British-based designer as she led a patriotic-themed gymnastics ballet in which she linked the defeat of Hitler’s Nazis to the Russian fight against Ukraine.
Olympic gold-medal winning Alina Kabaeva was filmed at a performance back by a uniformed military choir.
The 38-year-old reappeared in Moscow last week after rumours that she was hiding in a Swiss chalet, or a Siberian nuclear bunker, following the start of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The event included some of the Soviet Union’s most patriotic songs in a celebration of the country’s victory over the Nazis
Also featured was the ‘Z’ symbol, which has been likened to a Russian swastika invented for the war in Ukraine and now used as a nationalistic rallying point.
The full show will be broadcast on 8 May, the eve of a vast Red Square military parade commemorating ‘Victory Day’ - the end of the Second World War.
The theme at the annual Alina Festival was unmistakably intended to boost patriotic support for Putin’s military adventure in Ukraine.
Kabaeva seemed to wear a wedding ring and a dress from the new collection of London-based designer Alessandra Rich, who has previously supplied Samantha Cameron for a state occasion with President Obama.
The silk fuchsia midi dress appeared to send a message that she is ready to defy Western sanctions, which have attempted to cut off Russian's from Western goods.
The dress costs around four times the monthly average Russian monthly salary and was made in Italy.
Wearing a patriotic St George’s ribbon on her chest, Kabaeva also linked victory in the Second World War to today's events: "This theme, you see, this story, doesn’t only go into the past.
“It stays with us.”
Her words resonate with Putin’s claim that his modern-day war is against “Nazis” who control Ukraine, just as World War Two was waged to defeat Hitler's Nazis.
Such claims have been strongly refuted by those in Ukraine and in countries across the West, where it is seen as a thin attempt to justify the war.
“This celebration is not just for the whole country, this is a holiday for every family,” said Kabaeva.
"Every family has a war story.
"And we mustn’t ever forget it, but pass it on, from generation to generation."