MOSCOW (AP) — Two Russian pranksters say they fooled Elton John into believing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had given him a call.
The British star posted a message on Instagram Sept. 15, thanking Putin for calling him to discuss gay rights in Russia and inviting him for a meeting in Moscow. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the reports, saying that Putin never called John.
Vladimir “Vovan” Krasnov and Alexei “Lexus” Stolyarov told Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda Sept. 16 that they had fooled Elton John by calling him and pretending they were Peskov and Putin. The two men, known for prank-calling Russian and Ukrainian celebrities for television shows, said the audio of the call would be broadcast on a prime-time show later Wednesday.
