When Prime Minister Theresa May accused the EU of interfering in Britain’s general election, the Russian embassy in London deadpanned on Twitter: “Praise God it’s not Russia this time.”

As the tweet garnered 9,700 retweets and 12,000 likes, even some hardened Russia criti cs on the social network conceded — like football fans grudgingly applauding a goal by a rival striker — that this was “epic trolling.”

 

According to FT the popular megatroll is Mr Konstantin Shlykov, 38, is on his second tour as press attaché in the UK. His publicity-shy stance in London belies a love of taking part in TV game shows back home. Mr Shlykov (pictured) has appeared 16 times since 2004 on Svoya Igra, Russia’s version of Jeopardy, completing his latest five-show run just this month, and was a contestant on the Russian Who Wants to be a Millionaire in 2006. On TV shows Shlykov registered modestly as a ‘civil servant’.

(Illustration:  Couresy, signed Cергей Ёлкин).