How Russian Pranksters Vovan & Lexus Trick High-Profile Figures Into Candid Phone Talks

The Russian duo of Vovan and Lexus are famous for having pranked a number of high-profile politicians and celebrities, such as Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace, US special envoy Nikki Haley, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among others.

Anyone familiar with the impressive track record of Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus has probably stopped to marvel at how they manage to pull off their stunts.

Vladimir Kuznetsov (Vovan) and Aleksei Stolyarov (Lexus) in ordinary life, the Russian comedy duo is known for prank telephone calls on celebrities ranging from high-ranking politicians to famous artists.

The two have managed to catch off guard Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, then-UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, US special envoy Nikki Haley, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and recently - former US President George W. Bush.

Acting Skills & Research

Aside from utilizing experience in acting and voice change, a hefty deal of research is done ahead of the spoof calls, the comedian going by the name of Lexus revealed to Sputnik.

It is imperative if you expect people ranging from state leaders to celebs like Elton John to trust you, he pointed out. The targeted prank victim’s background is scrutinized, including their education and views on a sweeping assortment of issues. This is the main ‘weapon’ the pranksters wield if they want to be believable, he added.

Looking back on the particularly ‘successful’ pranks they pulled off, ‘Lexus’ singled out American leaders in particular, such as Vice President Kamala Harris.

At the time Joe Biden's freshly picked running mate, Kamala Harris was tricked by the duo into seemingly being ready to accept and use a damning recording of US President Donald Trump. The prank was recorded in January 2020, but was not released by the pranksters until later, after Harris had abandoned her own presidential bid.

In the recording that never made it to the pranksters' YouTube channel but was published by The US Sun on August 21, 2020, one of the prankers' team impersonated Greta Thunberg and the other – her father Svante, offering the California Senator at the time help in boosting her campaign.

The "fake Greta" and her "father" had claimed to have an audio recording of Greta's alleged encounter with Trump at the UN, where she purportedly shouted at POTUS to sign the Paris climate accord and the president allegedly told her "softly" that she "will never achieve the goal". Harris, in turn, encouraged the "climate activist", praising her work as inspiring.

In another video the pranksters played a trick on US Congresswoman Maxine Walters, whom they fooled into believing that the fictional island of Chunga-Changa and its people require US aid.

As for their more recent prank call to former US President George W. Bush, the record of their conversation was published back in May. The pranksters pretended to be Ukrainian President Zelensky, and talked to Bush and his aides for around 40 minutes. On the call, Bush confirmed that he did not want to let Russia join NATO, but wanted to see Ukraine in the alliance. He also stated that the West is waging a war against Russia in Ukraine, saying that Kiev should eliminate as many Russian soldiers as possible.

According to Lexus, however, the duo do not typically single out any specific prank calls, looking back on them with equal pride.

Navigating ‘Chain of Command’

At this point, the question arises how Vovan and Lexus gain access to such top-level politicians, penetrating the closed ranks of their numerous secretaries and aides.

‘Lexus’ acknowledged that first one needed to go through the according “chain of command”.

“Of course, you have to make them believe that you are the person who you are… introduce yourself... This way we usually reach the main goal.”

He added that the approach they used depended on each specific case in question.

The Russian pranksters did this with gusto as they recorded videos of their conversations with British Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace and then-Home Secretary Priti Patel, pretending to be Ukrainian PM Denis Shmygal. On the call, the UK minister spilled the beans about arms deliveries to Ukraine and London's support for "Kiev's plans" to continue with a nuclear programme.

Patel had divulged plans to deprive Russian tycoons of their property in the country and promised to keep allies in line, regarding support for the Kiev regime.

Uncovering the ‘Truth’

The prankster weighed in on the currently raging ‘info wars’, especially as Russia continues it special operation in Ukraine. At a time when fake news has become a weapon plied by the so-called collective West, ‘Lexus’s suggested that journalists should use the information the duo glean from their spoof calls.

The prankster dismissed any suggestion that Vovan and Lexus were ‘attacking’ anyone as part of the ‘information warfare.’ The comedian underscored that their prank calls were the manner they had devised to uncover the truth. It is up to other forces and people to decide what they subsequently want to do with that ‘truth’.