An air hostess with the Russian airline Aeroflot has been fired by her employers after a picture of her giving 'the finger' to passengers went viral on Twitter.

The air hostess, Tatiana Kozlenko, had uploaded the picture on a Russian social networking site in 2011. It was picked up and retweeted by numerous users recently. Within minutes the picture generated hundreds of likes.

Following the incident, the Russian airline announced that the air hostess had been sacked, according to The Sun. "Posting this photo shows Tatiana's attitude toward passengers and her duties. She acknowledged her fault when she spoke to her managers," Aeroflot posted on its Twitter page.

Kozlenko, however, said the arm in the picture was not hers. She claimed that it was a photo that appeared online and she just tagged herself on it.

"I don't consider myself guilty! The photo was added to my page, I only tagged myself on it," she told the Daily Star. "The hand isn't mine, the plane is not my company's! I don't understand what they spoil my life for! I'm asking you for help and support!"

Kozlenko isn't the only one to get into trouble because of the finger. According to the Daily Mail, teenager Penelope Soto who was arrested for possessing drugs made the inappropriate gesture at a judge for increasing her bond amount. As a result, Soto has been sentenced to 30 days imprisonment for contempt of court.