Upon arrival, Scholz condemned the Iranian strikes on Israel
Russian comedians pretending to be the French president tricked Polish president Andrzej Duda into giving them sensitive information after a missile exploded in eastern Poland last week.
Duda’s office confirmed on Tuesday that he was put through last week to a person claiming to be France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
Duda’s office said it was one of many international calls that the president received at a tense time on November 15, just after a missile hit in eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine, killing two men. NATO and Poland’s leaders have said the missile most likely came from a Ukrainian air defence system that fired in response to a barrage of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The office said that appropriate services are checking how the pranksters could have reached Duda — for the second time. In 2020 they talked to him posing as UN secretary-general.
In the new recording posted on YouTube by Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, known as Vovan and Lexus, Duda can be heard thanking a man whom he believes to be Macron for calling.
Speaking in English, Duda relays details of the missile incident, of his plans to request NATO consultations and of being very careful not to exacerbate the situation with Russia.
ALSO READ:
Over more than seven minutes, Duda, sounding stressed, tells the caller that US President Joe Biden does not blame Russia for the missile incident but that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky insists it was a Russian-launched projectile. He says he himself is being “extra careful” not to blame Russia but that Poland will seek security consultations with all of its NATO partners.
Opposition politicians lashed out at Duda, accusing him and his office of being overly lax with security.
Opposition Left party lawmaker Tomasz Trela said it’s a “disgrace for the special services and for all those who should be checking who they allow to contact the top leader”.
“This is a blow for our security and for the opinion we have in the eyes of our allies,” Trela tweeted.
In July 2020, the same Russian pranksters posted a recording of a phone conversation with Duda, in which Kuznetsov posed as the United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, and rendered the president speechless with questions about Ukraine, Russia and his fresh re-election. Duda’s office also confirmed that recording as authentic. Two officials from Poland’s mission to the UN were dismissed over the incident.
The pranksters have previously embarrassed European politicians including Macron and then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as Elton John and Prince Harry with similar hoax calls.
Upon arrival, Scholz condemned the Iranian strikes on Israel
Police have named the assailant as 40-year-old itinerant man Joel Cauchi
Family expresses condolences to the victims
The airline has already suspended flights to and from Tehran until April 18
All flights at Egyptian airports are according to the usual schedules, except for some flights heading to countries that have closed their airspace, said the govt
Air India and Vistara have announced avoidance of Iranian airspace and are taking longer flight paths for their Europe and US operations
Israel has a multi-layered air defence system that has intercepted thousands of rockets since it first went into operation in 2011
Police said there was no evidence to suggest Joel Cauchi was 'driven by any particular motivation, ideology or otherwise'