Lithuanian Presidents Security Adviser Targeted by Kremlin Impersonation of Ukrainian Official
Deividas Matulionis, national security adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, said he received a call in May from someone impersonating Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine's
The impersonation likely reflects a coordinated Kremlin voice-spoofing campaign against Baltic and Ukrainian security officials rather than an isolated prank, since Umerov's own warning to European counterparts points to parallel attempts elsewhere. Vovan and Lexus may instead have acted independently for publicity, with the Kremlin attribution resting on Matulionis's own inference rather than confirmed tasking. Confidence in that attribution is moderate, given reporting traces to a single primary account with secondary outlets reproducing it without independent corroboration. Lithuania's quick catch of the spoofed number and confirmation that no sensitive material moved likely reflects verification habits already tightened after earlier prankster incidents targeting Western officials, and similar AI-voice approaches against Baltic or Ukrainian security staff are likely over the coming months given the operation's demonstrated technical maturity, a pattern that would push Baltic and Ukrainian services toward mandatory callback-verification protocols if further attempts confirm coordination.
5 sources
- Lithuanian presidents adviser targeted by fake Ukrainian official call, suspects Kremlin -
LRT - Kremlin pranksters posed as Umerov in a conversation with an adviser to the Lithuanian president -
LIGA.net - Matulionis: tai buvo Rusijos tarnybų provokacija -
Kauno Diena - Lithuanian President's Advisor Falls Victim to Russian Pranksters -
Nasha Niva - Matulionis tapo pokštininkų „Vovan ir Lexus" taikiniu: manau, tai Rusijos tarnybų bandymai -
LRT