Russia calling? Scammers target high-level Western officials
- Cybersecurity researchers say Russian comedy duo Vovan and Lexus have ramped up their targeting of Western officials who have spoken out against Moscow
- The pair, who have denied any connection to the Kremlin, appear to have morphed from mischief-makers to a tool of information warfare
A pro-Russian prankster impersonates a former US ambassador to Moscow in live video calls, part of a disinformation campaign that researchers say seeks to ensnare high-level Western officials since the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian comedy duo Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, who go by Vovan and Lexus, have long been notorious for pranking politicians and celebrities around the world, from Justin Trudeau to Elton John and Boris Johnson.
But the pair, once dubbed Russia’s Jerky Boys who have long denied any connection to the Kremlin, appear to have steadily morphed from mischief-makers to a pro-Kremlin tool of information warfare.
Cybersecurity researchers say that since the start of Russia’s invasion, they have ramped up their targeting of high-profile officials and executives in North America and Europe who have spoken out against Moscow.
“WARNING. Someone using the phone number +1 (202) 7549885 is impersonating me,” Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Moscow, tweeted last September.
“If you connect on a video platform with this number, you will see an AI-generated ‘deepfake’ that looks and talks like me. It is not me. This is a new Russian weapon of war.”