Clip of UK defence secretary being tricked into speaking with Ukrainian PM emerges, Russian hand suspected

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A video of UK defence secretary Ben Wallace being tricked into speaking with the Ukrainian prime minister over the phone emerged, angering Britain.

According to the British media, the video was published on Monday by two Russian hoaxers, who have been targeting the UK ministers with fake calls about the conflict in Ukraine over the past week.

Home Secretary Priti Patel revealed she had received a similar hoax call last week.

In the short clip, Wallace is shown purportedly speaking from Poland as the caller says Ukraine wants to progress a “nuclear programme” to protect itself from Moscow.

Later, Wallace tweeted, “Things must be going so badly for the Kremlin that they are now resorting to pranks and video fakes. Not the actions of a confident government, but then again after the Salisbury Cathedral sightseeing story, anything is possible …”

According to The Guardian, pranksters Vovan and Lexus claimed responsibility for the video.

They are being suspected of links to Russia’s security services, which they have denied.

On Monday, Boris Johnson's spokesman told reporters that "the Russian state was responsible for the hoax telephone calls made to UK ministers last week".

The spokesman did not give further details, but added: "This is standard practice for Russian information operations. Disinformation is a tactic straight from the Kremlin playbook to try to distract from their illegal activities in Ukraine and the human rights abuses being committed there.”

"We are seeing a string of distraction stories and outright lies from the Kremlin, reflecting Putin's desperation as he seeks to hide the scale of the conflict and Russia's failings on the battlefield," he said further.

Watch |Video of a hoax call with UK minister Ben Wallace surfaces

(With inputs from agencies)