Medvedev in Mystery Super Hero Poster

A mysterious poster depicting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as Captain America, a skinny kid turned comic super hero, appeared Tuesday in Moscow causing Kremlin irritation.

Wearing a black leather jacket and leather gloves, the Russian president is shown in a spoof movie poster for "Captain America: The First Avenger", a movie which hit U.S. screens earlier this month.

The words "Captain of Russia. The First Ruler" are emblazoned across the Moscow poster.

Instead of a shield the comic superhero holds in the movie poster, the Russian president is depicted with a huge iPad in his hands.

A Kremlin official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the stunt "some sort of stupidity."

The Captain America movie tells the story of a skinny kid who is selected for a top secret process which transforms him into a hero with the body of a Greek god who is sent on a mission to fight against the Nazis.

The Kremlin and the government have been touchy about attempts to hijack the images of Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Earlier this month several placards posted round central Moscow depicted Putin as James Bond, causing the Russian government to loudly protest.

It is still not clear whether Putin or Medvedev will stand in presidential polls next year, with rival factions on both sides promoting their candidacy.

In May, equally mysterious posters, apparently created by the same artist, showed Russia's ruling tandem posing in matching tennis shorts. The artist, who declined to give a name, has told AFP the posters were "street art."

He is believed to be behind several other, less innocent posters making acerbic references to the Western military campaign in Libya and posted at www.monolog.tv

One of his works shows Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi looking to rent a flat. But it is not clear who is behind the current Medvedev poster campaign.