Russian comedians claim they tricked Albin Kurti, posing as Latvian president

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is alleged to have fallen prey to two Russians, comedians Vovan and Lexus, thinking he was communicating on the phone with the president of Latvia.

They have published a video on their account, where Kurti is heard talking about Russian hybrid warfare, then answers a question about the attack on Ibër Lepenc, talks about the security situation, and other issues.

Kurti mentions the former envoy for the Dialogue, Richard Grenell, Russian influence, the supply of weapons and the ammunition factory, and the current situation in Kosovo after the elections, criticizing the opposition.

“[Grenell] All these four years against me. He was instrumental in the overthrow of my first government, in 2020, the only government that was overthrown during the pandemic. And now he has largely aligned himself with the opposition,” he said of Grenell.

Kurti also talks about disinformation, pointing to the influence of Russian hybrid warfare, but emphasizes that the opposition in Kosovo has also flirted with this type of warfare, including the "oligarch media" and in particular one that owns a television station.

Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, also known as Vovan and Lexus, have long deceived prominent world leaders and other public figures.

Usually, in these conversations, they appear as other leaders or officials, while in Kurti's case, they are presented as the president of Latvia.

Former Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, then Hillary Clinton, Camala Harris, etc. have fallen prey to them.

Read too Zaev on the phone conversations: I am a victim of my sincerity, this structure aims at countries with Euro-Atlantic aspirations

The Telegraph has also written to the spokesperson for the Government of Kosovo to learn more about this interview given by Prime Minister Albin Kurti and to see if the video has not been manipulated, although many leaders have fallen prey to them.

For more, listen to the published video: