A duo of Russian pranksters who often target and compromise individuals in the interests of the Russian state have been honored with the Kremlin’s highest state award, state news agency RIA reported on Thursday (July 4).
RIA published a photo of the two pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, who appear under the code names “Vovan and Lexus”. They are apparently wearing awards of the Order of Friendship and holding champagne glasses at an awards ceremony in the Kremlin.
It was said that the ceremony took place on Wednesday.
The prize is awarded to Russian and foreign citizens for, among other things, strengthening peace, friendship, cooperation and understanding between Russia and other nations.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian pranksters who released footage of a video call with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron last month after tricking him into believing he was speaking to former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The duo is known in Russia for having duped a number of politicians over the years, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and, in 2018, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Meloni was the victim of a prank call by comedians who made her believe that she was discussing Ukraine and the EU’s migration policy with the President of the African Union Commission.
Back in 2018, the then Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was tricked by the duo into believing he was speaking to the new Armenian Prime Minister. In the phone call, Juncker described Russian President Vladimir Putin as his friend, but said that US President Donald Trump could not understand what the world was about.
Vovanm and Lexus also managed to outwit former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
(Edited by Georgi Gotev)
