Russia wants superhero artist punished

The Internet was all abuzz this week with this photo of a sculpture in Bulgaria, transformed from a Soviet celebration of Red Army soldiers into a colorful display of superhero glory (including Superman, the Joker and, er, Santa Claus).

Those who bought tickets to Sofia to take a look at the instant pop art sensation better ask for a refund. According to The Sofia Echo, a weekly English-language newspaper, the sculpture has been scrubbed clean.

Someone might want to inform the Russians. Today, the foreign ministry in Moscow issued a statement saying it “deplored the continuing acts of vandalism against the Soviet Army monument.” News reports have linked the graffiti to an anonymous artist, a la Banksy, but Russia blamed the move on “attempts by representatives of some Bulgarian political forces to bring [the sculpture] down.”

“We hope the country’s authorities will finally take measures to prevent further mockery of the memory of Soviet soldiers who died in the name of freeing Bulgaria and Europe from Nazism, and that those responsible for vandalizing the memorial will be exposed and punished,” the statement said.

Russia today marks the start of World War II, making the timing of the incident particularly prickly.

Several post-Soviet countries – notably Estonia and Georgia, who enjoy the worst relations with Russia among all their post-Soviet neighbors – have moved to destroy or displace Soviet-era statues, prompting loud objections from Russia.