The new must-have in Moscow: Gold iPhone with engraving of Vladimir Putin's head goes on sale for £2,500

• Phone is made by Italian-Russian-owned company Caviar Perna Penna which normally creates alligator skin and diamond-encrusted handsets
• Back of phone is made of 18-carat gold, and below portrait of  Putin is a quote from the Russian National Anthem and the double-headed eagle
• Mr Putin's approval ratings have soared since his annexation of Crimea earlier this year

By PAUL DONNELLEY

Published: 14:29 EST, 28 June 2014 | Updated: 09:22 EST, 3 July 2014

Unlike former communist leaders, Vladimir Putin has tried to avoid a cult of personality.

That may all be about to change as Russians and fellow travellers can now show their devotion to the President of Russia with a gold-plated iPhone hand engraved with a portrait of Mr Putin.

The Italian-Russian-owned company Caviar Perna Penna which normally creates alligator skin and diamond-encrusted handsets has made the phone for sale in Russia for 147,000 roubles (£2,500) – it comes with its own display case and accessories.

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Golden number:The golden iPhones with the portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the lyrics of the National Anthem on sale at Zhukoffka Plaza shopping centre on Moscow, Russia

The back of the phone is made of 18-carat gold, and below the portrait of President Putin there is a quote from the Russian National Anthem and the double-headed eagle – Russia's coat of arms.

In a press release, the firm says that the gadget is aimed at ‘patriotic senior government officials and top executives’.

‘It's time to feel genuine pride and express your position clearly, without further ado. 

The gold iPhone has a hand engraving of President Putin on the back and costs 147,000 roubles (£2,500)

The gold iPhone - the Caviar Supremo Putin - on sale for £2,500. On the back is the engraving of Mr Putin with his full name written, oddly, in English, a language he is not comfortable with, the Russian coat of arms and lines from the Russian National Anthem written in Cyrillic script

‘President Vladimir Putin has become a symbol of the new generation, a strong-willed and decisive leader.’

The manufacturers claim that the Caviar Supremo Putin phone is ‘the best way to express patriotism’ for people who move ‘in the highest circles, in which devotion to the homeland will never be an empty shell’.

Collectors; item: The golden Putin iPhone can be yours for just 147,000 roubles

Mr Putin, 61, became Russian president in 2000. His approval ratings have soared since his annexation of Crimea earlier this year

And the company claims that such a phone ‘will look good in the hands of a man who stands firmly on his feet and knows the power of his words and his fist’.

Mr Putin's approval ratings have soared since his annexation of Crimea earlier this year.