Meanwhile, we have someone of substantially higher rank within the Russian diplomatic corps not merely insulting, but openly threatening to assassinate the entire executive leadership of a foreign newspaper he doesn't like. Except it isn't considered to be a gaffe, but an eloquent expression of the core values that the current regime stands for:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/18/dmitry-medvede...

A smart diplomatic move, indeed.