Ukraine: Chewbacca arrested after campaigning for Darth Vader during elections

A video has been released showing the moment a man dressed in a Chewbacca costume in Ukraine was handcuffed by police for breaking canvassing laws and resisting arrest during the countrys local elections on 25 October.

The incident happened in the port city of Odessa after the unidentified man drove Darth Vader, a mayoral candidate for the countrys Internet Party, to the polling station, thus violating the law against campaigning on election day.

Police approached the individual but when he failed to produce a valid ID and resisted arrest he was subsequently restrained and handcuffed by four officers. The wookiee was then escorted to a nearby police station and issued a fine of 170 hryvnia (£4.87).

Upon release the individual said he could not pay the fine as his money is tied up in an intergalactic bank that does not have a branch on Earth.

Both Chewbacca and Darth Vader are characters in the Star Wars film franchise, though in the movies they do not work together, with Darth Vader part of the Dark Side and the wookiee working with Han Salo in the Rebel Alliance.

On 23 October Vader, Chewbacca and a group of storm troopers attended the unveiling of a monument to Darth Vader, positioned where there was once a statue of soviet leader Vladimir Lenin.

With Ukraine passing a law banning all soviet memorabilia and symbols on its territory the monument had to be demolished. The newly revealed Sith Lord statue claims to be more than a simple monument, equipped with a Wi-Fi router. The Internet Party of Ukraine sponsored the production of the monument in Odessa.

The Internet Party was founded in 2007 and campaigns for free computer lessons for Ukrainians and a transition towards digital media. The party obtained 0.36% of the vote in the 2014 elections but failed to win a constituency seat.

Ukrainians were casting ballots in the local elections that have been seen as a vote of confidence in the current ruling coalition, which has seen its popularity slump in recent months after an economic slowdown and continued conflict in the east of the country.