Russian woman claims Harry Potter character Dobby resembles Vladimir Putin

An incident in a cafe in Saratov, Russia, has gained viral attention after an elderly woman confronted staff over a plaster figure of the Harry Potter character Dobby. The woman claimed the house-elf figure was a depiction of Vladimir Putin, accusing the establishment of insulting the Russian president on his 74th birthday, October 7.

The woman threatened to report the cafe to the police. Cafe employees responded by suggesting that anyone who sees a resemblance between the character and the president is making that comparison themselves.

The event follows previous reports from 2023, such as those by the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, regarding a Russian law firm that had considered legal action against Warner Bros. over claims that the character's appearance was intentionally modeled after Putin. No such lawsuit was ultimately filed.