The Office of the Prime Minister has confirmed that Albin Kurti was deceived by Russian comedians Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, known as Vovan and Lexus, KosovaPress reports.
The pranksters managed to trick Kurti into believing he was speaking to the President of Latvia during a phone call. They later published a video on Rumble in which Kurti can be heard discussing Russia’s hybrid warfare and other political matters.
“Hybrid warfare has been conducted by Serbia and Russia, but also by some individuals within Kosovo… Secondly, there were irrational promises from the opposition, who flirted with hybrid warfare. And thirdly, some oligarchs in the country, particularly one who owns a TV station,” Kurti stated in the leaked call.
A History of High-Profile Pranks
Vovan and Lexus have previously deceived global leaders and public figures, including former North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Kosovo Government referred to the incident as a “prank call,” revealing that it took place on February 11, shortly after the February 9 elections. At the time, Kurti was receiving multiple congratulatory messages and calls regarding the election results.
“Due to the volume of calls, it was not always possible to fully verify each one. This unfortunate incident reinforces what we have long known: Russia is obsessed with Kosovo and continues to target our country. During the parliamentary election campaign, Sputnik Serbia and Russia Today (RT) published over 60 fake news articles and misinformation pieces, interfering in our democratic process, as documented by the EU Election Observation Mission,” the government’s statement read.
Despite the deception, the government emphasized that Kurti’s stance on key political issues remains consistent, both in public and private conversations.
