Russia Launches Twitter War on US Ambassador

Russia is unleashing its latest weapon in a standoff with the US: Twitter. A barrage of critical tweets attacked US ambassador Michael McFaul for his "unprofessional" speech to Moscow economic students concerning the two nations. An "ambassador's job is to improve bilateral ties, not to spread blatant falsehoods through the mediasphere," said one of the tweets, which accused McFaul of several "distortions."

McFaul tweeted in his defense that he had pointed out more than 20 "positive" aspects of the relationship between the two nations. The Swedish foreign minister, who observed the Twitter attacks, was pleased the war was only one of words, reports the Guardian. "That's the new world," he tweeted. "Followers instead of nukes. Better." (More Michael A. McFaul stories.)