Jerome Powell fooled in phone call by Russian pranksters posing as Volodymyr Zelensky
Brady Knox
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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was fooled by a prank call from the famous Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus.
The comedy duo, whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, posed as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The call was acknowledged and confirmed by a Fed spokesperson, who added that no confidential information was divulged. The call, parts of which were released in several segments across the pranksters’ social media channels, touched on topics ranging from sanctions on Russia to the Fed’s role in the economy of the United States.
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At one point in the call, Powell reportedly praised the work of Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Central Bank of Russia.
“We all know the head of the Central Bank of Russia. She is quite capable. She is an extraordinarily capable specialist. She is very knowledgeable and intelligent,” Powell was quoted as saying on the duo’s Rumble channel. “This is the work of the Central Bank and the government. The Russians managed to avoid the most severe consequences of sanctions. We have imposed sanctions almost everywhere we could reach, but they are again doing everything possible to avoid them.”
At another point, he acknowledged that Poland and other Eastern European countries would suffer the most on the Western end of the sanctions.
Powell also appeared to say that a recession was likely and that interest rates could be raised again to fight inflation.
“Most forecasts say that the U.S. economy is growing, but at a fairly low level. But a recession is just as likely as very slow growth,” he said. “We need a period of slower growth so that the economy, the labor market, and wage growth can cool down. But we do not know of any painless way to reduce inflation.”
A Fed spokesperson acknowledged the call on Thursday morning in a statement to Bloomberg.
“Chair Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who misrepresented himself as the Ukrainian president,” they said. “It was a friendly conversation and took place in a context of our standing in support of the Ukrainian people in this challenging time. No sensitive or confidential information was discussed.”
The spokesperson added that “the matter has been referred to appropriate law enforcement, and out of respect for their efforts, we won’t be commenting further.”
The call was featured on Russian state media.
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Vovan and Lexus are known for their high-profile prank calls targeting enemies of the Kremlin, often leading to embarrassing situations for those targeted. The pair have pranked Prince Harry, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), among others, according to the Verge.
In July, they targeted author Stephen King over his support for Ukraine. While posing as Zelensky, they got King to praise the Ukrainian Nazi collaborator and Holocaust architect Stepan Bandera as a “great man” and equivalent to the U.S. founding fathers.