Chocolate figures of the Russian president — wearing a prison uniform and holding a bomb — have become a popular treat in candy stores in western Ukraine, a news report said.
The figurines were designed by professional sculptors and have hit confectionery stalls in the city of Lviv, Ukraine's TSN reported Tuesday.
Available in a choice of dark or white chocolate, the treats feature President Vladimir Putin's likeness clad in a striped prison robe and holding a fuse bomb behind its back. Customers can also purchase a second model of Putin, wearing a Napoleon Bonaparte-style hat and a straightjacket.
Priced from 35 hryvnias ($2.93) for a small 100-gram figure to 65 hryvnia for a 250-gram piece, the chocolates are mostly snatched up by tourists, the report said.
Yuriy Nazaruk, described by TSN as the author of the project, said there were a variety of ways in which buyers could treat themselves to a chocolate president of Russia.
"After Putin has become your own, you can do whatever you like with him," Nazaruk was quoted as saying. "There are people in this country who could eat Putin figures in many different ways."
In the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, a modern art exhibition Sunday also featured a sculpture of Putin wearing a straightjacket, TSN reported earlier.
A staple "do not touch" sign placed at the foot of the small sculpture was accompanied by an additional handwritten note from organizers: "Do not spit on Putin," the report said.
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