Moscow’s Sneaky Call: A Frumpy Fake President Tricks Macron into a Queue
Picture this: like a slick prank‑show you’d see on a late‑night talk show, but with real world politics and the stakes of a war looming. Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus—known in Russia for hijacking the phones of celebrities and politicians—just pulled off a slick impersonation that left France’s President Emmanuel Macron playing along for a full 15 minutes. The twist? They pretended to be Ukraine’s newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Who’s Who in the Chaos
- Vovan & Lexus: Russian pranksters legendary for swiping into the lines of high‑profile figures like Elton John and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. They came out of the shadows again, this time targeting a global leader.
- Emmanuel Macron: France’s hands‑on president, caught on a prank call that’s involving a presidential election from a land half a world away.
- Volodymyr Zelenskiy: No politician, no arena crowd—just a comedian who won the Ukrainian presidential vote with a jaw‑dropping 73 % of the ballots. Suddenly the globe’s headlines were full of this “regular guy” turned president.
The Call Lays Out a Plot
The prank audio, posted on YouTube mid‑week, opens with a confident voice claiming to be Zelenskiy and jokingly remarking that 73 % of his poll numbers sounded a little like the outcome Vladimir Putin often enjoys. “It almost feels like parachuting from an election boat,” the impostor chuckled, before pressing its mark on Macron’s phone.
Macron’s side was quick to respond—as however any head of state might. The French presidency refused to confirm or deny whether the phone call was genuine, citing a policy of silence on unverified videos. So the world was left with a half‑baked story and a brand‑new Easter egg of political humor.
Why Do We Care? 1‑2‑3
- Election Humor: When politics get a dose of laughter, it’s a relief, yet it also reminds us that power can be just as unpredictable.
- Fragmented Diplomacy: Even during a simple prank, high‑level leaders touch bases—especially when some big meetings are scheduled, like Zelenskiy’s meeting with Macron in Paris earlier this month.
- Internet‑Age Intrigue: A prank call on the global streaming platform underscores how easy it is for any number to play the walk‑into-the-protocol prank.
Takeaway Time
At the end of the day, it’s a poke. But it also serves as a reminder that in an era of instant media, a laugh can travel faster than any policy speech—yet candid moments like this may be lost between boundaries of stories: what’s true, what’s false, and what’s simply said to get a chuckle out of the world’s top execs.
