Russian pranksters, Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, known for targeting foreign politicians and public figures, have reportedly tricked U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell into sharing a call with them. The conversation ranged from the outlook for inflation to the Russian central bank.
The Fed acknowledged having exchanged words with these individuals but declined to comment any further on the matter. According to video footage shown on Russian state television, Powell was led to believe he was speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
During this conversation, it is said that various topics were discussed such as inflation forecasts and the role of Russia's central bank in global affairs. However, given that some parts of the video appear edited; its accuracy cannot be fully confirmed by officials at this time.
Kuznetsov and Stolyarov have been successful over recent years in deceiving several prominent international figures into engaging with them through their sometimes-crude impersonations or lack of traditional diplomatic guile. Notable victims include Polish President Andrzej Duda who was fooled into believing he spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on a previous occasion.
In light of this incident involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell being duped by these pranksters posing as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky., Bloomberg News first reported it across United States media outlets leading to law enforcement getting involved.
Throughout their career pranking world leaders, Kuznetsov and Stolyarov (also known as Vovan and Lexus) have managed high-profile calls targeting Kremlin adversaries while causing embarrassment for those unfortunate enough to fall victim.
During his exchange under false pretenses, Powell praised Elvira Nabiullina's work heading up Russia’s Central Bank alongside discussing potential economic consequences concerning sanctions imposed upon Russia affecting Eastern European countries like Poland most heavily within Western regions’ scope.
Believing this call to be confidential with a fellow global leader, Powell candidly discussed the probability of an imminent recession both as likely and unlikely. The pranksters posed serious-sounding questions in broken English but refrained from pressing on contradictions or absurdities that could put their target at unease.
Despite the obvious editing and strange jump cuts throughout the video, Powell appeared relatively undisturbed by his conversation's content. This incident took place at the beginning of 2021 when he also expressed minimal concern for unemployment rates during his dialogue with these notorious Russian impersonators.