Russian prank callers release excerpts of call with Merkel

A renowned pair of Russian pranksters claim that they duped former German chancellor Angela Merkel into chatting about the war in Ukraine, as they released excerpts of the call on Monday, reported dpa.

Merkel's office in Berlin confirmed that the former chancellor, who left office at the end of 2021, had indeed been contacted.

"I can confirm a phone call with a caller who posed as former (Ukrainian) president Petro Poroshenko," a Merkel spokesperson told dpa.

The prank callers, who go by the name of Vovan and Lexus, are known for duping world leaders and celebrities by posing as other officials in phone calls. They are considered close to the government of President Vladimir Putin.

Merkel's office said in a statement that the phone call took place on January 12 and was supported by translation from the German Foreign Ministry. The statement said that Merkel then informed the Foreign Ministry of her impressions from the call.

Merkel frequently dealt with Poroshenko during her tenure in office. Poroshenko, 57, led Ukraine from 2014 to 2019 before being succeeded by current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.