2023-04-27 13:10:07
Bloomberg News reported that a video broadcast on Russian state-run television showed that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell held a video conference with two Russians pretending to be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this year. Talk to the pranksters about general economic issues.
In the film, Bauer obviously thinks the other party is Zelensky, so he answers the other party’s questions very sincerely. The topics range from inflation outlook to the Russian central bank. Several of the clips last about 15 minutes, and it is unclear whether footage has been doctored.
A Fed spokesman said in a statement on the 27th: “Chairman Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who falsely claimed to be the president of Ukraine. Sensitive or classified information was not discussed.” He said that he had informed the appropriate law enforcement agencies and would not elaborate further out of respect for law enforcement officials.
In addition, the Fed also said that the video appeared to have been edited, but could not confirm its authenticity.
The above response seems to be aimed at disinfection, but the fact that Russian pranksters went to the Fed chairman and tricked Powell highlights that the Fed’s security measures are not thorough enough.
Bloomberg pointed out that the two mischievous Russians named Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov are supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Successfully tricked many foreign politicians into speaking with them, aiming to embarrass Western policymakers.
Those who were duped included Johnson, then British Foreign Secretary, and European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde. The ECB spokesperson said on the 27th: “The president agreed to this dialogue out of goodwill, and also wanted to show her support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, supporting them to defend themselves and resist Russia’s war of aggression.”
The two Russian crooks also posed as former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and talked with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but Merkel was seen showing suspicion in the video, but she did not question the other party’s integrity on the spot identity.
Last year, the duo also fooled Polish President Andrzej Duda into thinking he was talking to French President Emmanuel Macron.
The video of the conversation with Power was widely played in Russian state media, usually as a joke. The two crooks have their own channel on the Russian VK social network.
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