Russia's Foreign Ministry has asked social media users to help teach U.S. President Barack Obama a history lesson after he claimed Russia is trying to regain territories that it lost in the 19th century.
"Quiz for amateur historians: what parts of Russia … were lost in the 19th century?" the ministry said Thursday in a Facebook message.
Obama on Wednesday said Russia's involvement in Ukraine was a sign it was "reaching back to the days of the tsars, trying to reclaim lands lost in the 19th century [but] this is surely not the way to secure Russia's greatness in the 21st century," according to a statement on the White House website.
In fact, the only lands that Russia lost in the 19th century were the Fort Ross settlement on the coast of California, which it sold to a U.S. businessman for $30,000, and Alaska, which it sold to the U.S. government for $7.2 million — neither of which Russia lays current claim to.
Amid escalating tensions with the West, Russia has been relentless in pointing out its foes' ignorance about the country.
Late last week Russia responded to a jibe from Canada's mission to NATO by teaching it a 'geography lesson' with a map showing the recently annexed peninsula of Crimea marked as belonging to Russia.
"Helping our Canadian colleagues to catch up with contemporary geography of Europe," the Twitter post read.
Having covered history and geography — what subject could be next?
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