TWO Russian pranksters tricked JK Rowling into believing she was being interviewed by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy.
In a 12-minute video of a Zoom call released on YouTube, the Harry Potter author believes she is being interviewed by the President of Ukraine - but she is actually being interviewed by notorious Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus.
The Russian comedy duo have made a name for themselves prank calling celebrities such as Elton John and Billie Eilish.
During the video one of the pranksters impersonates President Zelenskyy and makes a series of outlandish claims concerning the Ukrainian army and the influence of Rowling’s work in their ranks.
The best-selling writer is told by the jokers that the Ukrainian army has taken to writing “Avada Kedavra” on their missiles - a reference to the deadly spell in Harry Potter - a joke which Rowling says she “loves”.
She is also asked what gender Boris Johnson is to which she replies: “He is definitely a man. His past history proves that he is definitely a man.”
At one point the author is also asked whether Dumbledore is gay and who he sleeps with. The author replied that she “always saw Dumbledore as gay”.
When the pranksters reply that they hope that Dumbledore hasn’t slept with any transgender people Rowling is seen laughing.
A spokesperson for Rowling denounced the hoax as “distasteful” and said the video had been edited and is a “distorted representation of the conversation.”
They state that she was approached to talk about her “extensive charitable work in Ukraine, supporting children and families who have been affected by the current conflict in the region.”
Rowling’s charity Lumos has been helping vulnerable children and families in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine, with the writer actively promoting its work on her social media.
It is believed that the pranksters were not displayed on screen during the call though they do turn their webcam on at one point to show Rowling a picture of three people wearing t-shirts which read “Only Putin” in Russian.
The comedy duo have been criticised in the past for targeting celebrities who are critical of Russian foreign policy, leading some to believe they are state actors.
