THE world’s most famous Leonardo DiCaprio lookalike has been spotted fighting for Vladimir Putin on the frontline.

Fresh pictures of Roman Burtsev, 42, show the doppelganger sporting a very different look after six months on the battlefield – including an ageing face and balding grey hair.

The 42-year-old was called up to fight in Ukraine after weight gain killed his budding acting and modelling career.

A tubby Burtsev was pictured at the start of his military service on the frontline clutching his army-issue gun.

But after six gruelling months of service he has undergone a full transformation.

The DiCaprio doppelganger claimed the war has helped him get in shape due to the meagre military rations.

He added that he has lost more than 44lbs since going to war.

And perhaps he is back to looking like a young Leo as his military call sign is reportedly DiCaprio.

But pictures show the soldier looking rather worse for wear with an ageing face and dodgy haircut.

The Russian soldier has not disclosed his location but said he plans to be home in September.

Burtsev rose to fame as a DiCaprio lookalike and has since starred in a string of acting and advertising roles.

One of his most well-known appearances was an advert for Five Lakes vodka, where he appeared alongside counterfeit products saying the only thing real in life is the spirit.

But his acting opportunities melted away after he put on too much weight during the pandemic.

He was reduced to odd jobs at a marketplace and hardware store, but was short of money and was instead ordered to sign up for Putin’s troops

Prior to working as a DiCaprio clone, Burtsev was an IT specialist.

He had hoped that his role as a lookalike would bring him fame, fortune – and a wife and children.

But before going to war, the lonely Russian DiCaprio still lived with his parents and a cat in a rented state-provided flat in Podolsk, near Moscow.

By signing a contract and undergoing training, Burtsev qualified for a £16,000 payment, followed by £1,625 a month while he remains alive on the frontline.

If he is killed, his family could qualify for up to £99,000.

The mad dictator’s military recruitment is notorious for sending men to their deaths as “cannon fodder”.

But so far Burtsev has managed to avoid this fate.

It comes as Russia continues to throw men into their meatgrinder war effort.

Last month, the Kremlin announced they are looking to call-up another 160,000 troops in the biggest mobilisation in the last 14 years.

Despite the huge drive in numbers the country’s defence ministry claimed the campaign “is in no way connected” to the war in Ukraine.