On Friday, police raided the Moscow movie theater Pioner, which screened Armando Iannucci's movie The Death of Stalin, banned in Russia by the culture ministry, news agency TASS reported.

By the time several police officers showed up at the theater, located in central Moscow, the 11:50 a.m. screening was already over.

The Death of Stalin, a black comedy focused on partially fictional infighting in the Kremlin that followed the death of Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin in 1953, came under fire in Russia for allegedly distorting the country's history and making fun of its leaders.

Incidentally, two-and-a-half years ago, Pioner also screened Gaspar Noe's banned movie Love, saying it was part of a festival, and festival screenings didn't require an exhibition license.