Earlier this week, Elton John announced with excitement that he had been contacted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two had discussed LGBT rights and made plans to meet in person and continue the conversation, or so he thought. As it turns out, a couple of well-known Russian pranksters were responsible for the call.
Vladimir “Vovan” Krasnov impersonated Putin, while his cohort Alexei “Lexus” Stolyarov acted as the president’s spokesman and translator, Dmitry Peskov. The pranksters passed as Putin with flying colors and even succeeded in getting John to agree to attend Gay Pride in Russia.
“It turned out that Elton John was really waiting for this call, and so he immediately believed it really was a conversation with the people who we said we were,” Krasnov told local newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. “He said: ‘Thank you, you’ve made my day. This day and this conversation has been the most wonderful and lovely in my life.’”
In the aftermath of the event, John posted a statement to his Instagram account. “Pranks are funny. Homophobia, however, is never funny,” he wrote along a photo of two men, one with a bloodied face. “I love Russia and my offer to talk to President Putin about LGBT rights still stands. I will always stand up for those that are being degraded and discriminated against. If this unfortunate incident has helped push this vital issue back into the spotlight, then I am happy to be pranked on this occasion.”
Listen to the trick conversation below.
[Via Rolling Stone]