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Russia fires back at NATO Canada’s ‘Not Russia’ tweet over Ukraine invasion

Canada's NATO delegation offered this 'guide' to Russia in the wake of a video that showed troops inside Ukraine's border.

You can lecture and threaten and sanction all you want, but sometime what it really takes is a Twitter flame war. Although when you take your shots over social media, you’d better be ready to get trolled in response.

A Twitter feud between Canadian and Russian NATO delegations broke out following troubling reports out of Ukraine, where officials released video of Russian soldiers inside the country's eastern border.

The movement has raised alarm bells about what is being described as the potential buildup to a Russian offensive, or even the beginning of one. Russia has declared innocence over the troop movement, with President Vladimir Putin even suggesting the soldiers simply got lost.

That claim, laughable if it wasn’t so serious, prompted Canada's NATO delegation to put the Russian military on blast over its poor mountaineering skills, which has since prompted a retort from their Russian counterparts.

The Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO issued a sarcastic message to Moscow on Wednesday, attempting to show Russian soldiers the difference between Russia and Ukraine.

"Geography can be tough. Here's a guide for Russian soldiers who keep getting lost & 'accidentally' entering #Ukraine," the tweet read.

Attached was a map, with Russia labeled "Russia" and Ukraine labeled "Not Russia."

The infographic took the internet by storm, quickly being reposted by Canadian newspapers, BBC, The Telegraph, as well as countless other international news sites. The message has been retweeted more than 23,000 times since it was first posted, most recently by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird himself.

But as the fallout from the gamey tweet spins through its second day, there is a rebuttal. Not surprisingly, those opposed to the tweet are based out of Moscow.

On Thursday, Russia's NATO delegation fired back with a map of their own, which included Crimea as part of Russia and another region (which had declared independence from Georgia) as a shaded area (perhaps meant to indicate "Future Russia").

The Moscow Times also reported that Canada's map was wrong. The article in question is titled "Canadian attempt to teach Russia geography botched by map fail."

And the article itself is drenched in as much derision and one-upmanship as the original tweet.

"Ironically, the Canadian mission's lesson went askew as the exclave Kaliningrad —West of Lithuania — is also painted in white, despite belonging to Russia since 1945," it reads.

"Crimea and the town of Sevastopol are also colorless, though it is unclear whether the mission did so to make a political statement on the legitimacy of Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula in March."

We can't say for sure what the message is in regards to Kaliningrad (though the newspaper itself recent shed doubt on Moscow's claim to the region).

But on Crimea, the answer is, more than likely, yes. Yes, Canada is making a statement about the legitimacy of Russia's annexation of Crimea, since Canada and much of the rest of the world remains opposed to Russia's land grab in the moments following the conclusion of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The annexation, after all, led Canada to formally condemn Putin's actions, recall its ambassador to Russia and withdraw from the Russian-led G8 summit. With NATO standing up to Russia's actions, this war of words could threaten to leave the pages of Twitter.

The Canadian Press reports that Canadian fighter jets will being patrolling the edge of Russian airspace next week as part of a NATO mission.

One suspects those pilots will have a keen understanding of Russian geography, and there is little doubt over whose map they'll be referencing.