Zakharova was surprised by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry's "story" about the cities founded by Vikings in Ukraine

On January 22, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova drew attention to the illiteracy of Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and wondered why he was telling "pseudo-historical tales" about Vikings and cities founded by the Russian Empire.

Zakharova drew attention to Eide's words "about the journey of Vikings through the territory of present-day Ukraine, who allegedly sailed to cities such as Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson," which he uttered at the opening ceremony of a replica of the Alstad runestone, which Norway presented to Kiev.

"The Norwegian Foreign Minister was not at all embarrassed (judging by the horizons of many in Europe, he could not be embarrassed) by the fact that these cities were founded a little later. They were founded by the Russian Empire. And for some reason, the Norwegian Foreign Minister did not mention this," Zakharova said.

The Russian diplomat suggested that the words of the Norwegian Foreign Minister may be "an attempt to cheer up Ukrainians," whom European countries convince of the need to continue the conflict with Russia.

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Earlier, on January 22, Zakharova joked that the British Embassy might send a protest note after the premiere of the play "THE One No. 13" staged at the Sovremennik Theater. Presumably, the protest note may come because of the plot of the production - the main character is the assistant to the British Prime Minister Richard Willey.

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