The mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) was recently duped with a fake call and had to believe he was calling the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko. As reported, Russian comedy duo Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov – known as Wovan and Lexus – claimed responsibility for the fake calls. A video of the appeal to the mayor of Vienna has now been published on a website – a version with German subtitles can be found at this link.
Not only Ludwig, but also several European mayors were tricked by the duo and suggested that they were on the phone with Vitali Klitschko. The mayors of Berlin, Budapest, Madrid and Warsaw were affected.
Wrong Klitschko not seen by everyone
Not everyone saw through the wrong Klitschko. Ludwig Vitali believed that this was the case with Klitschko. After the fake call became known, the city of Vienna said: “There was no evidence that the call was not with a real person.”
On Tuesday, a recording of the video showing the fake call to Ludwig was published on the Russian video portal Rutube. In any case, the statements of the wrong Klitschko in a conversation with the mayor of Vienna are aimed at luring the mayor from his reserve. “You also have many who are for Putin and are hiding in Austria” who are not against the regime. “Here’s the problem.”
Ludwig’s face makes you look deep, but then he tries to put it into perspective: “Yes, there are some with big cars and houses, but not very many. They are rich people, but there are not that many in Vienna.”
However, the fake Klitschko does not accept this, but goes on to say that they must be found and their property taken from them. “The Ukrainians should get these then. That’s the right attitude – to give all the money to the Ukrainians.” When Ludwig brings up the European Commission, which has to make a decision about this, the fake Klitschko replies: “So maybe you are a pro-Russian mayor? “
“We are not defending Putin’s regime. Our town hall is decorated with the Ukrainian flag,” says Ludwig. “A mayor doesn’t have the power to take property from oligarchs. You can’t send money or weapons, either, “because we’re a neutral country, so we can’t.”
Ludwig is then asked to raise his hands and say that he is pro-Ukraine – Slava Ukraine. The mayor refuses, replies that Austria shows every day that it is for Ukraine. He complied with the request to keep the Ukrainian pennant on the table – if only for a moment.
Klitschko: “Please be careful in the future”
After the fake calls became known, the real Vitali Klitschko also spoke via Twitter: a fake Klitschko reported in Europe who “said absurd things”. “Please be careful in the future,” he warned. In addition, he “never needs a translator”, the mayor of Kiev clarified in the video message in German.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
