Ukraine govt faces backlash for cheeky 'Better Call Boris' tweet amid UK political crisis

Ukraine on Thursday threw support for ousted British prime minister Boris Johnson's return garnering widespread controversy. Taking to the official Twitter account, the Ukraine government shared what was described as a "cheeky meme" featuring Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk that was altered to show the face of Boris Johnson. The message alongside the now-deleted tweet read, "Better Call Boris." Ukrainian government considers Johnson as a steadfast ally, who during his premiership, pledged that Russia's president Vladimir Putin "must fail" in his resolve in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Johnson a "great friend" when he was ousted by then-Conservative Foreign Minister Liz Truss in early September.

Ukraine slammed for commenting on other countries' political processes

Ukraine's tweet on Thursday backfired as many on Twitter stated that Kyiv was attempting to interfere in British politics."Have you considered not commenting on other countries' political processes - with a view to not alienating your broad base of support, and because you simply don't understand what's going on there?" Steve Peers, a law professor at the University of Essex iterated. A CEO, Peter Jukes meanwhile commented that the UK betrayed Ukraine for 8 years, sharing a piece from the British newspaper. "It’s a joke on Better Call Saul, just pasting Boris’s face onto the show’s publicity image," one said. "A real slap in the face to all of the people in the UK who have supported Ukraine and welcomed Ukrainian refugees into their homes. Such an ill-advised Tweet. Disgusting," wrote another. "Extremely bad judgement by whoever handles this account," meanwhile one other tweet read. 

Before his exit, the then-outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who widely lent support to Ukraine, had paid a surprise visit to Kyiv to show his solidarity with the war-torn country. Johnson embarked on his third visit to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale military invasion of Kyiv on February 24. "What happens in Ukraine matters to us all. That is why I am in Kyiv today. That is why the UK will continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends. I believe Ukraine can and will win this war (sic)," Johnson then wrote on Twitter. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and announced an aid package for Ukraine's forces that included unmanned surveillance and anti-tank loitering weapons to counter Russian aggression.