The Russian prankster duo “Vovan and Lexus” tricked three OpenAI executives into joining a video call with them by posing as Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council. During the 17-minute conversation, the company representatives discussed military cooperation with Ukraine, possible use of artificial intelligence in offensive operations, and contacts with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, The Intercept reports. The journalists viewed the recording of the call, which the pranksters posted online, and got a comment from OpenAI.

The outlet writes that the comedy duo introduced themselves as Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, and arranged a meeting with OpenAI staff responsible for national security and strategic initiatives.

The call was attended by Sasha Baker, who runs OpenAI’s national security policy; Caroline Zier, director for strategic initiatives; and Ben Crumpton, who oversees the company’s European national security work. Baker and Zier previously held senior posts at the US Department of Defense, while Crumpton has worked in EU and UN institutions.

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The pranksters released the 17-minute recording of the call on Rumble. The Russian posing as Umerov kept the camera turned off throughout the meeting.

OpenAI’s representatives discussed possible military technology assistance to Ukraine, including using AI for defensive and offensive tasks.

Ben Crumpton remarked that some of the company’s executives were wary of OpenAI technology being used in offensive military operations. At the same time, he stressed the company’s willingness to engage in deeper cooperation with Ukraine and remarked that in certain situations drawing a line between offensive and defensive tech uses is difficult.

Sasha Baker added that OpenAI had been in contact with the Pentagon about helping Ukraine.

Participants in the meeting also mentioned that they had worked with Ukraine on the AI model Daybreak Blue, which is designed to detect and fix vulnerabilities in computer systems, and spoke of talks with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence about potential cooperation.

OpenAI executives also touched on political topics during the call. Namely, Baker commented on US President Donald Trump’s stance on Ukraine and said that most of US officials, citizens, and the company’s researchers supported Ukraine.

How the pranksters arranged the call

One member of the “Vovan and Lexus” duo, Vladimir Kuznetsov, told The Intercept that they had first contacted a Ukrainian official based in San Francisco, posing as Rustem Umerov.

Kuznetsov said that the official already had ties with OpenAI through the Ukrainian diaspora in California and had been in touch with Sasha Baker, whom he had met while she worked at the US Department of Defense. Believing he was speaking with Umerov, the official helped arrange the meeting with the company’s representatives.

The duo has been known to engage in similar pranks since 2011. Their previous victims included singer Elton John and US senator John McCain. The pranksters have repeatedly been accused of ties to the Russian authorities, but denied this.

OpenAI spokesman Nate Evans confirmed to The Intercept that the company had investigated the call several weeks before the piece was published.

“We concluded that it was a prank staged by individuals who have previously targeted officials and other companies. We have taken steps to prevent similar situations in the future,” Evans said.

He added that the company had reviewed the matter independently and together with government agencies.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Washington had not responded to the outlet’s request for comment at the time of publication.