J K Rowling blasts Russian pranksters as ‘distasteful’ over faked call with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky

The 56-year-old writer’s public relations team detailed her rage after confirming she fell victim to a hoax that produced a 12-minute video in which she and the pranksters discussed characters in her ‘Harry Potter’ books and how she could support Ukraine’s efforts on the ground against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s bombardment of the nation.

Rebecca Salt from the PR team told Entertainment Tonight on Friday (24.05.22): “We can confirm that J K Rowling was a victim of a distasteful hoax video call by Russian pranksters, Vovan and Lexus, posing on camera as Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy.

“J K Rowling was approached to talk about her extensive charitable work in Ukraine through her charity Lumos, supporting children and families who have been affected by the current conflict in the region. The video, which has been edited, is a distorted representation of the conversation.”

In the Zoom call one of the pranksters brought up the lightning bolt scar born by Harry Potter on his forehead – which the pranksters said resembled a ‘Z’.

A similar sign has been carved and sprayed onto Russian military tanks and weapons in support of Putin’s invasion.

The pranksters asked Rowling if there was any way she could change the ‘Z’ symbol into a more pro-Ukraine marking, and the author said she would “look into that”.

Among other famous faces pranked by Vovan and Lexus are Elton John, the Duke of Sussex, Billie Eilish, Senator Bernie Sanders and former US president George W Bush.