A sickening racist birthday message to President Barack Obama has been beamed onto the U.S. embassy in Russia using lasers.

The image, which is sure to further enflame relations between the two countries, showed Mr Obama swallowing a banana.

It was projected onto the front of the embassy building in Moscow as a stunt by students on Monday, the day of Obama's 53rd birthday.

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Racist: This image projected onto the U.S. in Moscow showed Mr Obama and a banana

A group called the Moscow Student's Initiative have claimed responsibility for the stunt

The brief laser show starts with the message 'Happy Birthday Obama' before a likeness of the president appears on the side of the building and a banana slides into his mouth.

A group called the Moscow Student's Initiative have claimed responsibility for the stunt.

Russia has been accused of failing to crack down on racism in recent years, particularly at football matches where fans have been seen throwing bananas at the feet of black players.

Only hours before the racist stunt a banner was unfurled on a building across the road from the embassy that featured caricatures of Obama with the words, 'I don't see … I don't hear … I don't speak the truth to anybody'.

The stunt is part of a campaign to draw attention to alleged U.S. hypocrisy over Ukraine, Russia's state-backed English language news service RT reports.

After Mr Obama is seen eating the banana, a 'happy birthday' message is projected

Then Mr Obama's name follows, before the video focuses on the embassy's American flag

Mr Obama has recently announced sanctions on key sectors of the Russian economy in an attempt to put pressure on Russia

Mr Obama has been widely attacked in Russia for America's stance on the Ukraine crisis.

Last week he announced sanctions on key sectors of the Russian economy in an attempt to put pressure on Russia to convince separatists in Ukraine to stop de-stabilising the eastern part of country.