Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni was recently deceived by Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus, who posed as an African politician to engage her in a phone conversation.
During the call, Meloni candidly expressed that allies of Ukraine are becoming increasingly fatigued by the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The prank call
The prank call took place in mid-September, during which Meloni revealed her perception of a "lot of fatigue" from all parties involved in the Ukraine-Russia war.
She also indicated that Ukraine's counteroffensive might not be progressing as anticipated. The audio of this conversation was later released on social media and reported by Italian newspaper Il Foglio.
The Italian government expressed regret over the incident, stating that they were misled by an imposter posing as the president of the African Union Commission. The statement also highlighted Meloni's commitment to strengthening relations with African leaders, evidenced by her meetings at the United Nations General Assembly shortly after the prank call.
Vovan and Lexus, whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, have a history of successfully tricking public figures into revealing information
