Russian embassy warns of ‘clowns’ in UK after Boris Johnson’s call for protests The Russian embassy in the UK has warned its citizens to keep themselves safe as the so-called ‘killer clown’ craze […]

The Russian embassy in the UK has warned its citizens to keep themselves safe as the so-called ‘killer clown’ craze escalates.

As reports of suspicious floppy-shoed characters increase, and police forces around the country issued cautions, the embassy weighed in.

The release – in Russian – noted that police and media had reported cases of attacks by “malicious people in clown suits”. They also attributed a motive to the funnymen: “to cause fear and bewilderment”.

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Information for Russian nationals https://t.co/0Nc8Jv3PAk — Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) October 12, 2016

It was not lost on some of the embassy’s followers that the tweet used to notify the public was slightly ambiguous, reading “Information for citizens of Russia – caution, ‘clowns’! One user responded almost immediately with a picture of the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson.

The Russian Embassy’s tweet, featuring a blond-haired clown, comes as a diplomatic row broke out between Boris and the Russians.

‘Pariah state’

Mr Johnson said on Tuesday that he “would like to see” protests at the Russian embassy in London against the country’s bombardment of Aleppo on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

He claimed Russia was fast becoming a “pariah state” and said Britain was ready to take the lead in raising awareness of their actions in Syria.

But Moscow responded to Mr Johnson’s claims by calling them “ridiculous” and accusing him of “Russophobic hysteria”.

“The frenzy that has gripped… Boris Johnson, who accuses Russia of committing every deadly sin, is a storm in a teacup full of muddy London water,” said Russia’s Ministry of Defence spokesman, Major-General Igor Konashenkov.

Social media

The embassy is known for its forthright social media activity. In May, it posted a shot from the game Command and Conquer with the caption “Extremists near Aleppo received several truckloads of chemical ammo.”

. @mod_russia: Extremists near Aleppo received several truckloads of chemical ammo. pic.twitter.com/scCEMXRvwH — Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) May 12, 2016

The obviously unrealistic image prompted jokes from users about other threats around the world.

An column of Russian tanks were defeated by an unit of ISIS spearmen this thursday. pic.twitter.com/LcW1gf26m1 — Posts Master General (@rfcapa) May 12, 2016

Extremists from Italian terrorist cells have been seen attacking innocent civilians. pic.twitter.com/qmCmgsX4pE — iam16bit (@iam16bit) May 12, 2016

But the embassy has also weighed in on various topics in a more serious way, accusing Britain of a “double standard” over doping, chastising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and posting “I told you so” when the Chilcot report on the Iraq war emerged.