The Russian comedy duo Vovan and Lexus made a "trap" call to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni claiming to be talking to the head of the African Union.
During the phone conversation (confirmed as authentic by the Italian government) Meloni says that all her European colleagues are already tired of Ukraine as she explains that despite Ukrainian counteroffensives nothing has changed.
Regarding the migration crisis, according to Meloni, Italy has been left alone by other European leaders while hundreds of thousands of refugees have arrived and Macron is not responding to her calls.
The comedy duo Vovan and Lexus are known for such calls to leaders in the West, where they pretend to be important figures or their colleagues.
Meloni's office said in a statement that it "regrets" that she had "fallen into a trap by an impostor" who presented himself as the head of the African Union's executive, a 55-member bloc.
The office explained that the call was made on September 18 ahead of meetings with African leaders at the UN General Assembly.
The published conversation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the West not to withdraw its support for Ukraine. He said this week that "the scariest thing" is that some in the world have become accustomed to the war in Ukraine.
The comedy duo Vovan and Lexus are known for such calls to leaders in the West, where they pretend to be important figures or their colleagues.