Former World Chess Champion and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov has been attacked by radio-controlled penis during a meeting of opposition activists.

Around 700 opponents of the Kremlin were attending Kasparov’s address in Moscow at the weekend.

Pro-Kremlin demonstrators decided to interrupt Kasparov’s address, designed to unite opposition political forces, by launching a rotor-assisted plastic phallus towards Mr Kasparov.

The unconventional chopper managed to stay up for at least 20 seconds before stunned security guards swiped it out of the air.

The prank was staged by "a couple of pro-Kremlin Young Russia activists" reports the Moscow Times. Mr Kasparov was unharmed.

Kasparov laughed off the incident remarking that it was "below the belt" .

"I think we have to be thankful for the opposition's demonstration of the level of discourse we need to anticipate," he said.

An onlooker said the incident was a "genital reminder about who is in charge".

Kasparov became the youngest ever World Chess Champion in 1985 but is widely known for being the first world chess champion to lose a match to a computer, when he lost to Deep Blue in 1997.

He announced his retirement from professional chess in 2005 to devote time to politics. He later formed the United Civil Front movement, and became a member of The Other Russia, a coalition opposing the administration of Vladimir Putin.