Johnson's excursion to St. Sofia of Kyiv is one of the most painful blows to the sick cultural imagination of the Russian Federation, - mass media

Tour guide Hanna Horodetska told TSN that Johnson pleasantly surprised her – he took a great interest in history and asked a lot about St Sofia, "Zbruch" reports.

"Everything was very cool: easy and lively. One of the first questions was what language the service was conducted here: whether it was Greek or Latin," Hanna Horodetska said.

On Wednesday, the Institute of Philology of Shevchenko University shared a message on Facebook, in which they called the tour delivered by their graduate Hanna Horodetska an act of cultural diplomacy. The philologist and the British politician immediately found a common language, because both are deeply interested in culture and write books.

"Boris Johnson wrote one of the books about Rome, the other about London. I am inspired by Kyiv... He has noted that the quotes on the St Sofia mosaics are in Greek. I quoted the inscription above Oranta: "She will not waver, she will stand, the Lord will help Her to stand at the dawn of the day." We also talked about ancient inscriptions and drawings in St. Sophia Cathedral: the autograph of Anna Yaroslavna, the record of the death of Yaroslav the Wise. The Prime Minister asked: in what language was this recording made? I showed him graffiti in English (I attached a background note about it). This resonated very much with him because he is familiar with the topic of British mercenaries in foreign troops. I was struck by his charisma, education and live interest in new things," said Hanna.

During the tour, Johnson was also told that Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is a distant relative of Yaroslav the Wise.

The website of the Reserve "St Sofia of Kyiv" published a genealogical scheme of kinship between the Rus and English Thrones.

"The granddaughter of Volodymyr the Great, Anna in 1051 became the wife of the French King Henry I Capet. The eldest son of Henry and Anna, Philip, became king in 1060 and was at the head of the state for 48 years until his death in 1108. His direct descendants ruled France for many centuries ‒ until the French Revolution. Descendants of Hugh, the youngest son of Anne and Henry, became rulers of Scotland and England. The family tree of close and distant descendants of Anna Yaroslavna of Kyiv is closely intertwined with other royal dynastic families, reaching their origins up to modern European dynasties. Thanks to modern scientific research, Ukrainian scientists have established a continuous dynastic connection between Queen Anna and Her Royal Majesty Elizabeth.

In some 33rd generation, you can trace this direct connection. This, of course, does not mean that Elizabeth II is Ukrainian. But this means that among all these European dynasties and pedigrees, our thread and our genealogy are very closely connected," commented Elena Yasinetskaya, candidate of historical sciences.

Guide Hanna Horodetska told reporters that Boris Johnson was not surprised by such family ties.

As journalist Tatiana Donets commented on Facebook, Boris Johnson's visit to St. Sophia Cathedral is one of the most shocking blows of recent times to Vladimir Putin and Russia with their anti-Ukrainian rhetoric.

"This is already a deep understanding of the things that British education provides to the British political elite. Who you are, who you are on the map of Europe, What are your princes and kings, what is your architecture, what is your cultural contribution to a common Europe. Why are you like this and not different? Why are you standing where others would prefer to sit down? Undoubtedly, Russia has been hit a lot in recent days... But it seems that Johnson's excursion to St Sofia of Kyiv is one of the most painful blows to the sick cultural imagination of the Russian Federation. This is a second role, when the historical root of this war is brought to light – so that's the point. This is an existential war, so it is not so easy to stop it. A life-and-death war of centuries-old insinuations, buying a place in the front row, twisted facts and ideology of superiority, seniority, claiming everything at once. This is a blow to both the groin and popliteal cup – you just need to be able to do it with one visit to the Ukrainian stronghold," Donets sums up.