Russia's culture ministry on Tuesday withdrew permission for the release of British film The Death of Stalin later this week after officials and top arts figures labelled it offensive and "extremist".

Armando Iannucci's comedy, which had a world premiere in September, takes a satirical look at the power scramble after Stalin's 1953 death and includes actors playing historical figures such as World War II commander Marshal Georgy Zhukov, Nikita Kruschev and Vyacheslav Molotov.

"The distribution certificate for the film 'The Death of Stalin' has been withdrawn," a spokeswoman for the culture ministry told AFP.

The ministry said the film's release was cancelled after officials found it contained "information whose distribution is legally banned in Russia".

According to the Guardian, Iannucci said: "All the Russians we've shown the film to so far, including Russian press, have said how much they enjoyed and appreciated the film. They say two things: it's funny, but it's true. I'm still confident we can get it in cinemas."

The film, directed by The Thick of It creator Ianucci, was set for a limited release in cinemas from Thursday after local distributors Volga Film gained an 18+ certificate from the culture ministry.