"Vova", commonly known as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, is a superhero according to Ukrainian band Dress Code, who have released a song devoted to the merits of the James Bond-defying, child-saving, universally adored Russian. Banned in Ukraine, the video is causing quite a stir.

The band behind the controversial homage is certainly profiting from its prohibition. Since the song "And Vova Rules" was taken off air for "political reasons", the illustrated music video has become a huge online hit in both Ukraine and Russia, where, incidentally, it was never shown on TV in the first place. Putin propaganda, a big joke, or a publicity stunt? Whatever it is, the video's already been viewed over 350,000 times.

The illustrations are pretty self-explanatory, but here are a few of the lyrics:

"James Bond isn't fit to shine his shoes. He's a superman, he's adored by the rich, by celebrities, by professors, by village folk and the West. He'll always be there in your time of need. He'll always protect you. If necessary he'll whack bad guys, even in a toilet. Indeed, Vova rules, and, surely, he rules just the way it should be done."