Two Russian ambassadors have apparently been secretly taped boasting about annexing Scotland, Catalonia and Venice, in a leaked recording laden with expletives.
In the unverified recording, Ambassadors are heard laughing heartily and joking about how other countries with independence movements, including the UK, Italy, the US and Spain, could be invaded by Russia, and then go on to suggest basing Russian troops in London and Miami.
The recording of Igor Chubarov, the Russian ambassador to Eritrea, and Sergei Bakharev, the Russian ambassador to Zimbabwe and Malawi, surfaced on YouTube, the latest salvo in a series of dirty tricks between Russian and the US.
"We've got Crimea, but that's not f****** all folks. In the future we'll damn well take your Catalonia and Venice, and also Cattleland (Scotland) and Alaska," a voice alleged to be Chubarov said, adding that Russia should make a play for "all those f****** border countries".
Later in the conversation, one of the men changes his mind about the Russian border countries, saying it would be better to leave the "Baltic s***".
Bakharev suggests California or Miami instead.
"Exactly, Miamiland is f****** 95 per cent Russian citizens," saidChubarov, adding: 'We have a full right to hold a referendum".
Then Bakharev makes a similar joke about annexing "Londonland".
The leaking of the recording could well be a revenge tactic by Western diplomat, afte a recording of for leaks of US assistant secretary of state, Victoria Nuland saying "f*** the EU" was leaked onto YouTube.
Russia's foreign ministry has refused to confirm the voices on the tape were the two men. Writing on Facebook, Maria Zakharova, a deputy spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said she had no idea who was talking on the tape and added that the photograph of Bakharev that accompanied the recording was in fact of a different diplomat who died last year.