After a rocket hit Poland’s border with Ukraine, President Andrzej Duda was tricked by Russian comedians in a telephone call. In the conversation published on the Rutube platform, the duo fooled Duda into speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron. The presidential administration said on Twitter on Tuesday that the phone call took place during “several phone calls with heads of state and government” after the rocket exploded. In the course of the call, Duda recognized from the unusual conduct of the conversation that it could be an attempt to deceive and ended the call.
The comedians Vovan (Vladimir Kuznezow) and Lexus (Alexej Stoljarow) are behind the action. In the seven-minute conversation, Duda reported to the supposed Macron about the rocket hit in the border area with Ukraine. “It was without a doubt a rocket. We don’t know who fired it. It was a Russian rocket, so it was produced by Russia,” explains Duda in broken English.
Then things got explosive: Duda went on to report that he had already spoken to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and announced that Poland could apply for the procedure under Article 4 of the NATO treaty to be initiated. Article 4 provides for consultations between the NATO states if one of them sees the integrity of its territory, political independence or its own security threatened.
Conversation about escalation and war
Duda also tells the caller about his phone call with US President Joe Biden. “And what does he say? Is he accusing Russia?” the caller wants to know. “No,” Duda replies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other hand, is convinced that the missile was fired by Russia. “I don’t think we need any escalation, no war between Russia and NATO,” says the supposed Macron. “Emmanuel, I don’t need a war with Russia either. I’m being extra careful,” Duda assures.
The duo “Vovan and Lexus” has been known in Russia for years for tricking politicians and other international celebrities with fake calls. Earlier this summer, the comedians led several mayors in EU capitals to believe they were talking to Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko. Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey was one of the victims of the prank call. Some time ago, according to ARD information, they admitted in a “Contrasts” interview that they worked for an Internet platform that belongs to the Russian state-owned company Gazprom.
