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'For Russian hackers, press 2,' Moscow jokes

Darko Janjevic with AP
April 2, 2017

The Russian Foreign Ministry poked fun at the hacking scandal with a switchboard message posted online on April Fools' Day. The recording offers various "election interference" services in both English and Russian.

https://p.dw.com/p/2aVvQ
Washington Russische Botschaft
Image: picture-alliance/AA/Y. Ozturk

The Foreign Ministry shared the message of its verified media accounts, saying it was a "pilot" recording to be used as an automated response in Russian embassies and consulates. In it, an official-sounding voice asks the caller to choose among options to meddle with an election.

The message, posted as a joke on April Fools' Day, starts in Russian and is then repeated in English.

"To arrange a call from a Russian diplomat to your political opponent, press 1," it says, alluding to the ongoing scandal over contacts between Moscow and the aides of President Donald Trump.

"To use the services of the Russian hackers, press 2; to request election interference press 3 and wait until the next election campaign," the recording added.

Russia has vehemently denied interfering with last year's US election and colluding with now President Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton. Many observers, however, believe that Russian hackers obtained damaging information on the Clinton campaign to help Trump, and various American officials have been hit with accusations of illegal dealings with Russian diplomats.