Russian malicious fraudsters called presidential adviser and attempted to deceive him
Estonia's presidential office confirmed that the President's security adviser Madis Roll received a malicious call from Russian fraudsters in May. Sensitive information was not disclosed.
Russian malicious fraudsters called presidential adviser and attempted to deceive him
Estonia's presidential office confirmed that the President's security adviser Madis Roll received a malicious call from Russian fraudsters in May of this year. No sensitive information was shared during the call. Russian propaganda channels claimed that Roll had fallen into the trap of two well-known pranksters.
According to the office, the incident occurred more than a month ago, in May, and no sensitive information was disclosed. The news story now published by a Russian news agency is misleading.
"I said that we understand that Ukraine is at war and that such incidents are Russia's fault, who started the aggression against Ukraine. I spoke about helping Ukraine only in this context, what kind of cooperation Estonia and Ukraine could develop to prevent drones from reaching Estonian territory. Russian propaganda has distorted this for its own narrative," said security adviser Madis Roll.
The presidential office added that similar fraudulent calls were made at the same time to representatives of other Baltic states. Ukraine has publicly acknowledged such incidents.
Russian propaganda channels reported on Wednesday that the well-known prankster duo Vladimir (Vovan) Kuznetsov and Aleksei (Lexus) Stoljarov had deceived Estonia's state security adviser Madis Roll.
Allegedly, Vovan and Lexus impersonated Rustem Umerov, secretary of the Council of Ukraine's State Security and Defence Service.
Russian media outlets claimed that Roll said in the conversation allegedly taking place on 1 July—which they claimed occurred—that Estonia fully supports Ukraine and is prepared to help coordinate attacks against Saint Petersburg. They also claimed that he confirmed cooperation between Estonian and Ukrainian officials on this matter.
They further claimed that Roll blamed Russia for all tensions and confirmed Estonia's continued support for Ukraine. The fraudsters allegedly also spoke with Lithuania's Presidential Security Adviser Deividas Matulevicius, who allegedly stated that Lithuania fully supports Ukraine and does not intend to criticise Kyiv's actions.
The presidential office confirmed that Madis Roll informed Estonia's defence and security authorities of the call.
The office added that the fact that Russia is now presenting such a fraudulent call as propaganda "speaks for itself."
"When staged 'discoveries' are presented as achievements, it shows desperation rather than strength. This does not change reality or reduce Russia's responsibility for its aggression against Ukraine," the office said in its statement.
Vovan and Lexus have deceived numerous prominent Western politicians and public figures over the past ten years.
They make calls or arrange video calls, impersonating foreign heads of state, ministers, or prominent activists. Only selected fragments of conversations are released to the public, which Russian propaganda channels then exploit.
A few years ago, former Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also received a call that was believed to be fraudulent, made in the name of the African Union. Suspicion arose after the Finnish Foreign Ministry announced an investigation when Vovan (Vladimir Kuznetsov) and Lexus (Aleksei Stoljarov), who had previously targeted Western leaders with prank calls, released a recording of a conversation with Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen. They had also called impersonating an African politician.
Source: ERR News (https://news.err.ee/1610067565/president-s-adviser-received-a-phishing-call-from-russian-hoaxers)
Source: ERR News