Russian pranksters pose as Zelenskiy, employing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell

According to a video shown on Russian television, US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had a phone call with two Russian pranksters posing as Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy.

In the video, Powell, who thought he was meeting with Zelensky, is seen answering questions on various topics, from the inflation outlook to the Central Bank of Russia. Powell also discussed interest rates in the footage, which lasted about 15 minutes.

POWELL’s Commentary on the Recession and the Interest Rate

In a recently published speech in January, Powell said that a recession would occur in the not too distant future. The Fed Chairman has announced plans to raise interest rates in 2023. Saying that he is planning 2 more interest rate hikes, Powell said that they plan to keep interest rates at this level for “a long time” after .

“Chairman Powell attended a meeting in January with someone who introduced himself as the president of Ukraine,” a Fed spokesman said yesterday. It was a friendly conversation and it happened because of our stance in support of the Ukrainian people at this difficult time. No sensitive or confidential information was discussed,” he said.

“The matter has been referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies,” the spokesperson said. The fact that the bogus call reached Powell pointed to his problems with security at the Fed.

JOKERS SUPPORTER OF PUTIN

Pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, nicknamed Vovan and Lexus, can trick foreign politicians into talking to them. Supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin, the duo duped British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in 2018.

The pranksters also met with Polish President Andrzej Duda and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The two met earlier this year with the president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, imitating Zelenskiy again.