Key Takeaways:
- Two Russian comedians successfully pranked Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
- The duo, posing as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, asked several questions from Powell
- The Fed has confirmed the incident, claiming it happened in January but is still being investigated
BEGUSARAI- (CoinChapter.com) — In a hilarious yet embarrassing incident, two Russian pranksters called Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and spoke to him, posing as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The duo that duped Powell were allegedly famous Russian comedians Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov.
The prank call reportedly took place in January this year. However, the video of the call, showing Powell answering their questions, is circulating on social media.
The Fed Chair touched on various topics, ranging from the US Economy, inflation, and rate hikes, to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He can even be heard praising the Central Bank of Russia for successfully keeping the economy afloat.
In one of the videos, Powell is asked for his opinion on the World Economic Forum in Davos. Calling the event a “little flashy,” Powell said many wealthy people with private jets attend, but he doesn’t go.
The conversation also circulated with Christine Madeleine Lagarde. The French lawyer turned-politician has served as President of the European Central Bank since 2019.
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A harmless mistake-the Fed clarifies
Amid widespread speculations that the video might have been doctored or created using Artificial intelligence (AI), the Federal Reserve has confirmed that Jerome Powell had a conversation with someone posing as Zelensky.
It is unclear if the Fed refers to the same incident or a separate one. However, it added that the videos appear to have been edited and could not confirm their authenticity, according to Bloomberg,
“Chair Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who misrepresented himself as the Ukrainian president. It was a friendly conversation and took place in a context of our standing in support of the Ukrainian people in this challenging time. No sensitive or confidential information was discussed,”
a Fed spokesperson told
While refusing to divulge any further information, the spokesperson added that they have referred the matter to appropriate law enforcement authorities.
The Russian pranksters, who use the stage names Vovan and Lexus, have also made similar prank calls before. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also fell for their prank call in 2018 when he was still the country’s foreign secretary.
Famous singer Elton John and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are also on their list of victims.
Although Jerome Powell allegedly did not divulge sensitive information, the incident has left the Biden Administration red-faced. How could a pair of Russian comedians successfully evade detection and speak to the Federal Reserve’s chief?
Such a massive security lapse is embarrassing for a superpower like the United States.
