A RUSSIAN mandarin was left red-faced last night after accidentally posting a nude selfie on the official Ministry of Defence Instagram account.

The quickly deleted post sparked fevered speculation about the woman's identity - with eagle-eyed Twitter users claiming military spokeswoman Rossiyana Markovskaya was behind the racy post.

The picture briefly appeared on the verified Mil_Ru account - which usually shows off Vladimir Putin's fearsome military arsenal.

One recent post shows soldiers undergoing airborne invasion drills - with another unveiling a state-of-the-art missile system.

One user wrote: “Whoever runs the Russian Defense Ministry’s Instagram account apparently forgot to log out before a very sexy Saturday afternoon.”

Another added: "Where does one sign up for this war?"

Several users claimed the picture was uploaded by ex-journalist Rossiyana Markovskaya - A Bond Girl-style beauty who likes to tease her fans with saucy pics on Instagram.

In one she is seen seductively sipping through a straw while in another she poses in a tank top while holding a military firearm.

The pictures have won her an army of Instagram followers who regularly send her flowers.