Ukranian President Poroshenko duped in phone hoax
November 4, 2016
Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko thought he was having a phone conversation with Kyrgyz Presidnet Almazbek Atambayev when it turned out he was talking to an imposter.
Details of the exchange between Poroshenko and "Atambayev" were published on Poroshenko's official website Wednesday before Kyrgyzstan's government later clarified that no such discussion had taken place. The post has since been removed.
"It is possible somebody duped the Ukrainian leader," said a representative of Atambayev's press service. While Kyrgyzstan would not speculate on who may be responsible, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin called it a "provocation" on Twitter on Thursday, saying it was intended to thwart Ukraine's attempt to draft a UN resolution on human rights violations in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Russian officials have not commented on the matter, it was not immediately clear who had placed the call.
Russia annexed Ukraine's CrimeanPeninsula in 2014 and is accused by Kyiv and others of supporting pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine.
kbd/msh (AFP, AP)