The child rights commissioner, Pavel Astakhov, made the outrageous statement as he defended the arranged marriage of teenage bride Kheda Goilabiyeva, to an ally of Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov - sparking a huge outcry across Russia.

The 17-year-old was pictured crying during the ceremony in the Chechen capital Grozny and had to be asked three times whether she wanted to marry the 47-year-old police chief Nazhud Guchigov, who already has another wife.

Mr Astakhov said he supported the rights of middle-aged men to wed younger women, telling the Russian News Service radio: 'In the Caucasus... girls are emancipated and mature earlier [than elsewhere in Russia], so let's not be prude about this. 

'There are places where women are all wrinkled by the age of 27, and they look about 50 by our standards.' 

He later apologised for his comments, but not before a huge backlash sparked on the internet with women of all ages taking photographs of themselves and posting them on Instagram, using the public hashtag #сморщеннаяженщина', Russian for 'wrinkledwomen'.

More than 350 people have now posted selfies using the hashtag, and sarcastic messages to Mr Astakhov, attracting dozens of positive comments and shares.

Instagram user dream_about_me wrote to the 'connoisseur of feminine beauty' in her post, adding: 'I am 24, and the process has started already' alongside of her scrunching her wrinkle-free face.

Another ilonessi said: 'Well, I come from a place where women are already shivelled at the age of 24. 

'Although by Ashtakhov's standards I have another four years, before I become a raisin #patriachy' 

Alina Mohins wrote: 'By the standards of Ashtakhov 27-year-old Bashkir [people indigenous of the area surrounding the Ural Mountains] all look 50.

'I am 22, then perhaps in five years I need to get married... #ageism' 

The woman behind the campaign appears to be Bella Rapoport, a prominent Russian feminist writer, according to Instagram's time stamps. She wrote: 'A #WrinkledWoman of 35 years says hello to the children's ombudsman.'

(dailymail.co.uk)