TWITTER DIPLOMACY: Russia in Kenya Fires Shots at Western Diplomats

In the age of social media, diplomacy has taken on a new form with the rise of “Twitter Diplomacy.” It has become a platform where diplomatic missions engage in public discourse, express opinions, and sometimes even engage in subtle conflicts.

The Russian Embassy in Nairobi has recently made headlines for its bold and provocative statements, particularly in response to Western diplomatic missions commenting on the Russia-Ukraine Conflict including Tuesday’s statement issued on Kenyan protests.

In the midst of recent protests in Kenya, Western diplomatic missions in Nairobi released a joint statement calling for urgent action to prevent further damages.

The statement, though intended to express concern and advocate for a resolution, was seen by some as interference in Kenya’s internal affairs.

The Russian Embassy in Nairobi swiftly responded to the statement by the Western diplomats, criticizing their stance and accusing them of meddling in Kenya’s domestic affairs.

In a tweet, the embassy posed a question, “If it is not interference in internal affairs, what is it?”

If it is not interference in internal affairs, what is it? pic.twitter.com/UR4wf1LvhV

— Russian Embassy in Kenya/Посольство России в Кении (@russembkenya) July 18, 2023

They accused the Western diplomats of overstepping their boundaries.

The Russian Embassy’s response sparked a lively debate online, with some applauding their firm stance and others condemning it as inappropriate.

Some of the tweets by the Russian embassy have no political overtones at all and are just outright attempts at providing topical humor and they’ve been able to get the much-needed attention.

The mix of humor and political sarcasm has worked well in driving a social media following. With more than 33,000 Twitter followers, @russembkenya comes fourth after the US, UK, and Germany embassies in terms of following than any other G20 country’s diplomatic mission in Nairobi.