Russia was not amused when an unidentified artist (or artists), dubbed the Banksy of Bulgaria, painted Sofia, Bulgaria's, 1950s communist war monument to look like U.S. comic book heroes and pop culture icons.

The cast-iron figures had been painted to look like Superman (holding a gun), Santa Claus, 'Batman's' the Joker, and Ronald McDonald. Below the newly colorful statue, the artist tagged Moving with the times, written in Bulgarian in black spray paint. The artwork was on display for all eyes to see last week, much to the horror of many members of the Russian government. As of yesterday, the spray paint has been washed away, revealing the statues true nature.

The Russian foreign ministry publically condemned the street art and urged Sofia to take action against the hooligans behind the vandalism.

The large monument was constructed after socialist-led Russia invaded Bulgaria. The monument depicts the Russian Red Army liberating the people, and was built to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the liberation, which took place in 1944.

Soviet soldiers at the base of the Soviet Army monument
An activist poses for a picture in front of figures of Soviet soldiers at the base of the Soviet Army monument during the fourth Sofia Pride annual parade in Sofia. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
Soviet soldiers at the base of the Soviet Army monument
An activist puts a rainbow flag on top of the figure of a Soviet soldier at the base of the Soviet Army monument, during the fourth Sofia Pride annual parade in Sofia June 18, 2011. Hundreds of gays, lesbians, transsexuals and supporters of gay rights participated in the parade. The figures of the monument was painted on Friday by an unknown artist to resemble comic book heroes and characters from popular culture, among them Santa Claus, Superman and Ronald McDonald. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
A monument of the Soviet Army
A woman walks past a monument of the Soviet Army in central Sofia June 17, 2011. The figures of Soviet soldiers at the base of the monument have been painted by an unknown artist to resemble U.S. comic book heroes and characters from popular culture like Santa Claus and Ronald McDonald, the mascot of fast-food chain giant McDonald's. The inscription below them reads: "Moving with the times". REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
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