The websites of a number of Bulgarian media outlets were hacked last night and a meme with Vladimir Putin appeared in place of their video players. It is an illustration in which Putin is dressed up as Marilyn Monroe in Andy Warhol style, against the background of the Pride flag.

The image is a well-known meme, which can be found under the name "Gay Clown Putin".

The hacker attack hit Nova TV, BNT and Sportal.TV, Bulgaria On Air and others. Only bTV was not affected by the attack, according to reports.

This image of Putin with mascara, shadows and lipstick was officially banned by the Russian Ministry of Justice as "extremist material" in 2017. According to Russian authorities, the photo hints at "the alleged unusual sexual orientation of the President of the Russian Federation."

The vision was officially banned by the Central District Court of Tver, Central Russia in May 2016, along with other images uploaded to the Russian social media platform Vkontakte.

The image first appeared in response to a 2013 Russian law banning "propaganda of homosexuality among minors."

Russians have no right not only to share this image, but also to print or store it on electronic devices.