Baby Butin: Egyptian newborn named after Russian leader

An Egyptian couple have named their newborn son "Putin" as a testament to their intense admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Father Momin Mokhtar has said little "Butin Mokhtar" – as he is pronounced in Arabic – is a gesture of the "depth and strength of Egyptian-Russian relations".

"I hope my son grows up to have a strong personality like the Russian President. He doesn't have to become the president when he gets older but he has to know he was named after the leader of the biggest and strongest nation on earth," Mokhtar told local media.

"I hope he learns the Russian language and studies in a Russian university so he can become a future important influencer in Russian-Egyptian relations," he added.

Moscow has recently been seeking to strengthen relations with the most populous Arab country at a time when Cairo's alliance with Washington has been frayed.

Butin Mokhtar is a gesture of the depth and strength of Egyptian-Russian relations

In February, Putin visited Cairo to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and agreed to help to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant.

Putin also gave a Kalashnikov assault rifle to fellow autocrat Sisi as a gift.

Surprisingly, this is not the first time an Egyptian couple have named their son after the Russian leader.

A pharmacist in the coastal resort of Hurghada called their newborn baby "Vladimir Romani Salah" last November.

"Vladimir means the king of peace and I love President Putin's policies," Vladimir's father told local media.

Poor little guys, but at least their parents weren't as mean as the parents of the late Egyptian major general, Hitler Ahmad Tantawy.