Polish President Andrzej Duda falls victim to Russian prankster posing as UN chief in phone call

The prankster, Vladimir Kuznetsov, known as Vovan, posted a recording of the 11-minute call on YouTube, and Duda’s office confirmed on Wednesday it is authentic.

At various points in the conversation, conducted in English, Duda sounds surprised at the line of questioning but still refers to the fake Antonio Guterres as “Your Excellency.”

The conversation was held on Monday afternoon while Duda was awaiting official confirmation of his re-election.

State security is investigating how the prankster got through to the president, and whether Russia’s secret services were involved.

The Internal Security Agency said in a statement the call had been authorised by a Polish mission official at the UN, and that his actions are under investigation.