Russian pranksters call Estonian President's security adviser

The Estonian President's Office confirmed that Russian Kremlin-linked pranksters Vovan and Leksus called the President's security adviser Madis Roll in May 2026. No classified information was shared during the call, and the news published by Russian information channels distorts the facts.

The Estonian President's Office confirmed on Wednesday that the President's security adviser Madis Roll received a deceptive call from Russia in May 2026, during which no classified information was shared. Russian propaganda channels claimed the call was made by well-known Kremlin-linked pranksters Vovan and Leksus.

What was said in the call

According to Russian media, the pranksters Vladimir (Vovan) Kuznetšov and Aleksei (Leksus) Stoljarov impersonated Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council. The same claims alleged that Madis Roll confirmed in the call that Estonia fully supports Ukraine and is ready to coordinate strikes against Saint Petersburg, and that Estonian and Ukrainian officials are cooperating on this matter.

Madis Roll himself rejected these claims: "I said that we understand Ukraine is at war and Russia, which started the aggression against Ukraine, bears responsibility for it. I spoke about assisting Ukraine only in the context of what cooperation Estonia and Ukraine could undertake so that drones do not reach Estonian territory. Here, Russian propaganda has distorted reality arbitrarily."

Office: It speaks for itself

The President's Office added that Roll informed Estonian defence and security authorities about the call, and that similar deceptive calls have also been made to representatives of other Baltic states. Ukraine has also publicly disclosed such incidents. The pranksters also allegedly spoke with Lithuania's presidential adviser Deividas Matulionis.

The Office stressed that the fact that Russia is now presenting such a deceptive call to the public as a propaganda tool speaks for itself. "If such staged 'revelations' are attempted to be presented as achievements, this testifies more to desperation than strength. This does not change the actual situation nor diminish Russia's responsibility for the aggressive war against Ukraine," the Office's statement reads.

Pranksters' long history

Vovan and Leksus have spent the past decade deceiving many prominent politicians and public figures from Western countries through fraudulent calls. They call or arrange video calls, impersonating heads of state, ministers, or prominent activists. Only selected excerpts from conversations reach the public, which Russian propaganda channels then use for their own purposes.