Kirill Tereshin, a 25-year-old Russian man known as the “Russian Popeye,” became famous online for his huge, fake biceps. He didn’t build them by lifting weights—instead, he injected oil into his arms to make them look big and swollen. People called him “Popeye” after the cartoon character with giant muscles, and he also went by “Bazooka Hands” on social media. But in early 2023, Kirill left Russia and moved to Bali, Indonesia, a sunny island far from his home. This move surprised his fans and sparked lots of talk online.
Kirill’s story started years ago when he was a skinny teenager who felt weak and unhappy with his body. Instead of working out, he chose a dangerous shortcut: injecting Synthol oil into his arms. This made his biceps look massive, but it hurt his health. Doctors warned him the oil could rot his muscles or even kill him. He had surgery in 2021 to remove some of the damage, but he kept adding oil anyway. His arms became a big part of his fame, getting him nearly a million followers on TikTok and lots of attention on Instagram and YouTube.
Why did he leave Russia? The article says Kirill fled around the time President Vladimir Putin was forcing more people to join the army for the war in Ukraine. As an army veteran, Kirill might have been called back to fight. Instead, he packed up and went to Bali, a place with warm weather and a relaxed vibe. There, he started posting pictures and videos of himself posing by pools, villas, and fancy cars—very different from his old life in cold, snowy Russia. He traded his usual posts of flexing with dancing girls for a flashier, tropical style.