If you thought the diplomatic brawl between Israel and New Zealand was dramatic then you’re in for a treat.

Clearly feeling a little bit jealous that the spotlight wasn’t on them, Russia and the US have decided to significantly escalate tensions and bring back some of that classic Cold War-era enmity.

Today the Obama administration announced it was kicking out 35 Russian diplomats in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the US presidential election campaign. A Russian government spokesperson has announced the country will now consider its own possible sanctions, but it’s a tweet by the Russian embassy in the UK that’s attracted the most attention.

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What’s The Beef?

Back in July, when the election contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was the world’s biggest news story, Wikileaks published thousands of emails from senior Democratic party operatives.

The emails suggested party officials were doing their best to ensure Clinton’s Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, wouldn’t win the primary contest. The leaks led to a string of high-profile resignations and embarrassed the Clinton campaign just months before the election.

But who was responsible?

According to the CIA, the hacked emails were the work of the Russian government, and they were leaked to undermine Clinton’s campaign and give Donald Trump a boost.

Unsurprisingly, US politicians weren’t happy with the idea that a foreign government, especially Russia, was interfering in the presidential election. Today’s expulsion of dozens of “intelligence operatives”(spies) posing as diplomats is the first official step the US government has taken in retaliation.

BREAKING: Obama, announcing retaliation for election hacking, says `all Americans should be alarmed by Russia's actions.'

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 29, 2016

Obama has suggested that the US may take further action and it might not necessarily publicise the steps it takes. We all know that’s code for secret spy shit.

Trump, on the other hand, wants us all to get over it. Here’s his statement on the Russia/hacking fiasco:

“I think we ought to get on with our lives. I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what is going on. We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but I’m not sure we have the kind, the security we need.”

“The whole age of computer.” “We have speed.” FMD.

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Russia Responds

A Russian government spokesperson announced that President Putin would be formulating a response to cause “considerable discomfort” to the US.

But this tweet from the Russian embassy in the UK is clearly the best response a government has ever orchestrated to diplomatic upheaval:

President Obama expels 35 ?? diplomats in Cold War deja vu. As everybody, incl ?? people, will be glad to see the last of this hapless Adm. pic.twitter.com/mleqA16H8D

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) December 29, 2016

Yeah, that’s a duckling with the word “lame” stamped across it. The Russian embassy is trying to get across, in a not so subtle way, that Obama is a lame duck president.

And just in case you still weren’t clear on how they felt, they’ve referred to his government as a “hapless administration”.

Hacked emails and terrible memes. How great is diplomacy in 2016?