Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Mar 07, 2026

Russian hoaxer called Poland’s Duda over missile strike

Russian hoaxer called Poland’s Duda over missile strike

Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke to a hoaxer posing as France’s Emmanuel Macron on the night a missile hit a village near the Ukraine border.
His office confirmed the call after two well-known Russian pranksters posted a recording of the caller asking Duda who he thought was responsible.

During the call Duda said he was being “extra careful” and wanted to avoid war with Russia. He was targeted shortly after the missile killed two people on a farm.

The Nov. 15 strike came during one of the biggest Russian missile barrages on neighboring Ukraine since the start of the war.

Poland said initially that the missile that landed in Przewodow, 6km (4 miles) from the border, was Russian-made but later added there were no signs of an intentional attack.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it was “most likely” a Ukrainian air defense missile that landed in Poland.

A week on, Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus claimed credit for hoax-calling the Polish president, prompting his office to respond on social media.

“During the call, President Andrzej Duda realized from the unusual way the interlocutor conducted the conversation that there might have been an attempted hoax attempt and ended the conversation,” it said, adding that an investigation was being conducted into how the callers managed to reach the president.

It is the second time he has been targeted by the pranksters, who have made their names targeting politicians and celebrities, especially those opposed to the Kremlin. Two years ago they impersonated UN Secretary General António Guterres.

Near the start of the prank call, President Duda said he had spoken with Stoltenberg and US President Joe Biden, and was considering invoking Article 4, which calls for consultations in the face of a security threat of NATO members.

The Macron impostor, who began speaking with a French accent that later changed to Russian, asked if President Biden believed Russia was responsible for the strike, to which the Polish President said “no”.

The prankster then asked Duda if he thought Russia was responsible, to which he responded that he didn’t know and that an investigation would be conducted.

The caller appeared particularly interested in Duda’s thoughts on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and his insistence that Russia was responsible for the attack.

Duda refused to be drawn further on the Ukrainian president.

“Do you think I want to have war with Russia? Believe me, I don’t want to have. I don’t want to have war with Russia, and believe me I am extra careful, extra careful,” he said.

“I’m talking only about Article 4, I don’t talk about Article 5,” he said, referring to the clause that says that an attack on one NATO member is an attack against all members.

Eventually, as the caller continued to push Duda on his thoughts on Zelensky, the Polish president ended the call.

Although the Kremlin insisted it had nothing to do with the missile deaths, Stoltenberg said after the attack that “Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine”. He added: “Let me be clear, this is not Ukraine’s fault.”

Vovan and Lexus deny acting on behalf of the Kremlin but they receive uniformly positive coverage on Russian state TV. Their latest prank was given widespread coverage in Russian media.

Three years ago they hoax-called President Macron, pretending to be the Ukrainian president.

They have also pranked British singer Elton John, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and most recently UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who was asked if he backed Ukraine’s nuclear ambitions.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran While Expanding Diplomatic Efforts to Contain Widening Middle East War
Iran’s President Rejects U.S. Surrender Demand as Drone and Missile Strikes Hit Gulf States
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drone Swarm Targeting Strategic Shaybah Oil Field
Pakistan Faces Growing Pressure to Balance Ties With Iran and Saudi Arabia as Regional War Intensifies
Middle East Conflict Tests Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision to Transform Saudi Arabia Into a Global Hub
Proposed U.S.–Saudi Nuclear Deal Could Ease Traditional Nonproliferation Requirements
Iran Claims Strike on U.S.-Linked Oil Tanker Near Saudi Waters as Maritime Tensions Escalate
Saudi Arabia Says Air Defences Destroyed 23 Drones and Three Missiles Amid Escalating Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran Against ‘Miscalculation’ After Missile and Drone Attacks Across Gulf
Iranian Missiles Intercepted Across Gulf as Air Defences Activate in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain
U.S. Justice Department Pursues Criminal Cases Against Cuban Officials in New Legal Push
Abrupt Cancellation of U.S. Army Exercise Sparks Speculation Over Possible Middle East Deployment
Saudi Arabia Led OPEC Output Surge Ahead of Iran Strikes, Survey Finds
Cristiano Ronaldo Travels to Spain for Hamstring Treatment After Injury in Saudi Pro League Match
Saudi Aramco Reroutes Oil to Red Sea as Strait of Hormuz Disruptions Hit Gulf Exports
Saudi Arabia Presses Ahead With Economic Diversification Despite Fiscal and External Deficits
Middle East Conflict Puts Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races at Risk
Iran Targets Israeli Diplomatic Site in Bahrain and US Air Base in Qatar as Regional Conflict Expands
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Three Ballistic Missiles Targeting Prince Sultan Air Base
Iran Launches Fresh Missile and Drone Attacks Across Middle East as Regional War Intensifies
Saudi Arabia Opens Direct Communication Channel With Iran in Bid to Prevent Wider Regional War
Saudi Arabia Maintains Strong Fiscal Position Despite Global Uncertainty, Finance Ministry Says
Saudi Arabia Considers Response After Iranian Drone Strike Hits Major Northern Oil Refinery
Saudi Carrier Flynas Plans Limited Flight Resumption to Dubai Amid Regional Tensions
Saudi Arabia and UAE Pledge Close Coordination to Secure Oil Supplies for Japan
Middle East Conflict Casts Doubt Over Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races
Iran Rejects Claims of Attacks on Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Oman
Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Strikes Targeting Türkiye and Azerbaijan
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Matches Despite Escalating Regional Conflict
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Issues Emergency Security Alert After Drone Strike and Escalating Regional Threats
Saudi Arabia Scrambles to Redirect Oil Exports as Gulf Storage Nears Capacity
Iran Expresses Gratitude to Saudi Arabia for Closing Airspace During Escalating Conflict
Saudi Arabia Fears Iranian Strikes Could Target Senior Leaders as Regional War Escalates
Iran Says Its Strikes Target Only U.S. Military Assets and Denies Attacking Saudi Arabia
Drone Strike Hits U.S. Embassy in Riyadh as Middle East Conflict Escalates
Tom Brady’s Saudi Flag Football Event May Shift to U.S. as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Plans
Iran War Strikes Saudi Arabia at a Critical Moment for Its Economic Transformation
Saudi Cabinet Declares Kingdom Will Take All Necessary Measures to Defend National Security
United States Urges Citizens to Leave Fourteen Middle Eastern Countries as Iran War Escalates
Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura Refinery Targeted Again in Second Drone Attack Within Two Days
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Fixtures Despite Rising Middle East Conflict
Trump Pursues Major Civil Nuclear Agreement With Saudi Arabia Amid Regional Turmoil
Mass Drone Attacks Strike Gulf States as Iran Conflict Spreads Across Region
No Verified Confirmation of Ronaldo Departure Linked to Iran Conflict or AFC Suspension
No Verified Evidence of Israeli Intelligence Arrests in Qatar or Saudi Arabia
Drone Attack Forces Temporary Shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s Largest Oil Refinery
Israel Intensifies Air Campaign in Tehran as Iran Expands Regional Retaliation
Iranian Strikes Escalate Middle East Conflict, Drawing Saudi Arabia Closer to Wider War
No Verified Confirmation of Drone Strike on King Fahd Causeway Amid Regional Tensions
No Verified Evidence Saudi Crown Prince Is Seeking to Weaken Israel Amid Regional Tensions
×