Fed Chair Jerome Powell Pranked by Russian Duo Posing as Ukrainian President

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was deceived into an extended phone call in January with Russian pranksters pretending to be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the conversation, Powell discussed the economic impact of interest rate hikes, and a clip posted on social media showed him stating that a recession was nearly as probable as slow growth this year. The Federal Reserve spokesperson confirmed the call took place but did not comment on potential security lapses or measures to prevent future incidents. The pranksters, Vladimir Kutznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, have previously targeted other world leaders, including European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and former UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.