Video has been released of the moment 'Chewbacca' was arrested in Ukraine for unlawfully canvassing for the country's Internet Party.

A man dressed as the famous Wookie was stopped by police on Sunday while driving 'Darth Vader' to a polling station in Odessa, where the pair were campaigning for Vader in the mayoral elections.

Ukraine's local election law forbids candidates from canvassing on the day of voting, and Chewbacca was taken into custody after failing to show police his ID.

It took four officers to restrain and handcuff the Wookie after he resisted arrest and he was later fined 170 hryvnia (around €6.75) despite protests from Lord Vader.

After being released 'Chewie' said he could not pay the fine because his money is tied up in an intergalactic bank that does not have a branch on Earth.

A few hours later, Vader was reported to be furious when he arrived at the polling station only to discover he was not listed on the voter registry, despite holding a Ukrainian passport.

The Dark Lord's Internet Party was founded in 2007 and campaigns for free computer lessons for Ukrainian citizens, a transition to digital media, and a movement away from paperwork.

'Darth Vader' and a number of other Star Wars characters have run for both mayoral and parliamentary elections since the party was founded.

An official statue of Vader was unveiled in Odessa on Friday after a law passed earlier in the year required the removal of communist symbols in Ukraine.

A former statue of communist revolutionary Lenin was refashioned to represent Vader with his iconic mask, helmet and cape. The statue also serves as an internet Wi-Fi hot spot.

In the country's 2014 parliamentary elections the Internet Party secured 0.36% of the vote but failed to win a constituency seat.