London: Russian President Vladimir Putin will try to bolster Russia's image through hosting the football World Cup in the same way Adolf Hitler used the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany, says Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson.

Opposition Member of Parliament Ian Austin raised the 1936 Olympics during a sessions of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday, asking Johnson if Putin would use the tournament to improve Russia's image, comparing it to when Hitler's Germany hosted Olympics.

Johnson said he agreed with the assessment.

"Your characterisation of what is going to happen in Moscow in the World Cup, in all the venues – yes, I think the comparison with 1936 is certainly right," he replied.

Johnson was being questioned over the chemical poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in the English city of Salisbury.