A Norwegian consul named Elisabeth Ellingsen was filmed at the reception of a Russian hotel recently, where she was heard saying the phrase, “I hate Russians”. Her Russophobic comment was circulated on social media, post which Moscow came out with a stern response, saying that she will not be allowed to continue working in the country, and has also revoked her visa. The comments were reportedly made on July 6.

The Russian foreign ministry released an official statement in this regard, saying, “After what happened, Elisabeth Ellingsen’s presence in Russia is impossible”.

Check out the video of the entire incident here:

The Russian foreign ministry also summoned Norway’s ambassador to the state in order to protest Ellingsen’s comments, who continued to say “Just give me a room… I’m used to clean rooms, I’m from Scandinavia”.

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The Norwegian foreign ministry has also not backed Ellingsen, saying that her comments do not express the country’s sentiments or policies in any manner. Guri Solberg, a spokesperson of the ministry, also said that Ellingsen has been informed of Moscow’s decision, and that the latter is currently not in Russia. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova termed the remarks as “unacceptable”.

With the relationship between the West and Russia being particularly strained post Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine, this incident might harm the situation further. Notably, Norway had earlier announced that it was temporarily closing down its consulate general in the Russian city of Murmansk.

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Russia, on the other hand, closed down the consulates of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia earlier this year in various regions of the country as a countermeasure to their diplomatic policies in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Estonian and Latvian lawmakers had also passed resolutions in their respective countries in April 2022, where they accused Russia of committing genocide in Ukraine.