It just goes to show that Simpsons references work for every occasion.

According to UpROXX (via CNN), the official Twitter accounts of Ukraine and Russia have butted heads over the historical origins of Anna Yaroslavna, an 11th-century figure born in Kievan Rus (then a federated territory surrounding Kiev, now the capital of Ukraine) who went on to become queen of France.

Russian president Vladimir Putin referred to Yaroslavna as “Russian Anne” during a recent press conference, which Ukraine saw as a slight.

The remark was seen as an attempt to blur the line between Russian and Ukrainian history, so Ukraine’s official Twitter account shot out this response, which points out how Moscow was undeveloped at the time of Anne's coronation:

 

Russia responded by tweeting “we are proud of our common history,” and that Russia and Ukraine (and Belarus) “share the same historical heritage which should unite our nations, not divide us.”

According to CNN, “Russia countered by pointing out that the Cathedral of St. Sophia had been built around the same time in Veliky Novogrod, which is now one of the oldest cities in Russia. In the 11th century, it resided in the territory of Kievan Rus, to which Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus -- whose flag was included in Russia's tweet -- all claim cultural and historical links.”

 

But Ukraine was not having it, and tweeted out the following Simpsons gif (which, in case you were wondering, comes from season nine episode ‘Simpson Tide’, from almost 20 years old - it remains, it would seem, relevant):

 

Brilliant.