As if relations between the U.S. and Russia weren't already strained enough, some Russians couldn't resist sending President Barack Obama a racially charged birthday message, the Washington Times reported.

A laser projection on the U.S. Embassy in Moscow showed a rough image of Obama's face with a birthday hat on his head and a banana in his mouth. It was followed by the words "happy birthday."

The U.S. president's birthday was Monday.

A group called the Moscow Student Initiative claimed responsibility for the stunt on social media. The same day as the laser show, a banner was unveiled in Moscow depicting Obama in the iconic "Three Wise Monkeys" poses.

As tensions between the U.S. and Russian government have increased, so has Russian racism toward Obama, according to the Huffington Post.

A series of racist posters were hung around the city of Perm, including one that showed Obama with a banana. In February, Irina Rodnina, a figure skater turned politician, tweeted another image of the president with a certain yellow fruit. Rodnina was among those who helped light the torch for the Sochi Olympics.

On an official level, relations between the U.S. and Russia -- and specifically between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin -- have deteriorated in recent months mainly because of the conflict in Ukraine, including the Malaysian Airline flight that was shot down by pro-Russian separatists.

Last week, Obama announced heavier sanctions against Russia from the U.S. and the EU because of Russia's involvement in Ukraine. Russia on Thursday hit back with a sweeping ban on nearly all food imports from the West, AP reported.

"Until the last moment, we hoped that our foreign colleagues would understand that sanctions lead to a deadlock and no one needs them," Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. "But they didn't, and the situation now requires us to take retaliatory measures."