Satirists loyal to the Kremlin - Russian trolls trick Habeck with fake call
Russian trolls specializing in disinformation have lured Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) into a fake phone call. The Federal Ministry of Economics confirmed on Tuesday in response to a dpa inquiry that such a call had taken place. According to the ministry, the caller claimed to be a representative of the African Union in the phone call.
Security-related or confidential information was not part of the conversation. The call was interrupted several times due to technical problems with the line, so that a coherent conversation could not be established. According to a ministry spokesperson, a four-minute recording published by the two trolls on Telegram is a compilation. The conversation is also available on YouTube. According to the ministry spokesperson, neither the entire conversation nor the questions posed in the recording and the attached answers can be confirmed. In particular, the questions did not match the recollections of the interview in terms of tone, the accent of the questioner or the content.
Robert Habeck speaks English
In the alleged recording, Habeck can be heard calmly explaining in English that Ukraine should be helped to export its grain despite Russian attacks. The recording was published on the channel of the pro-Kremlin duo Wowan and Lexus. The two are known for so-called pranks on foreign politicians and other famous personalities. Their victims have included former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British ex-Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
According to the ministry, it received information from the German intelligence services shortly after the call. They pointed out that Habeck had been contacted under a false identity, resulting in a fake call. The ministry then analyzed the facts and assigned them. The incident was taken as an opportunity to review and tighten the existing security loops.
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The Federal Ministry of Economics, led by Minister Robert Habeck, has released the recording of the alleged phone call on their official YouTube channel for transparency. The African Union has denied any involvement in the call, distancing themselves from the falsified claims made during the conversation.
Source: www.stern.de
