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Russia's foreign minister has once again taken the Kremlin's relationship with irony into unexplored territory, describing the Russian flag as a symbol of justice. The remark is real. The question of how much reality can take remains open.
MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has declared that the Russian tricolor has become a symbol of the struggle for justice, in remarks that immediately raised questions about whether the Kremlin is now outsourcing irony to the international community.
Lavrov made the comments on Friday while discussing what he described as a Western campaign against Russia and its national symbols. According to Russia's state news agency TASS, he said that despite attempts in the West to target the Russian flag, it had become a symbol of the struggle for justice for many.
The remarks came as Lavrov also accused Western countries of waging war against Russia through Ukraine and claimed they were attempting to interfere with Russia's upcoming State Duma elections.
The Russian flag, a white-blue-red tricolor, has therefore now joined justice, freedom and democracy in the increasingly crowded category of things the Russian government says it represents.
The Russian foreign minister's comments followed years of restrictions on Russian athletes competing under the national flag in some international competitions, an issue Lavrov also addressed, saying more sporting federations were lifting such bans.
No independent definition of "justice" was provided.
The announcement nevertheless marks a significant development in the ongoing effort to determine whether reality is still capable of producing events too implausible for satire.
NotTheGlobe has contacted reality for comment.