These people…

The Telegraph reports on conversations between David Miliband and Sergei Lavrov:

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, reacted with fury when Mr Miliband and he spoke on the telephone. Mr Lavrov objected to being lectured by the British.

Such was the repeated use of the “F-word” according to one insider who has seen the transcript, it was difficult to draft a readable note of the conversation.

One unconfirmed report suggested that Mr Lavrov said: “Who are you to f—— lecture me?”

He also asked Mr Miliband in equally blunt terms whether he knew anything of Russia’s history.

One Whitehall insider said: “It was effing this and effing that. It was not what you would call diplomatic language. It was rather shocking.”

It’s always important to remember what caliber of official is running Russia these days. These people aren’t statesmen, they’re schoolyard bullies. With nuclear weapons.