Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus trick Greek PM's security advisor Thanos Dokos in video call, sparking political firestorm

The deception

Thanos Dokos, the National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, fell victim to a sophisticated prank by the Russian duo Vovan and Lexus. The two men posed as Rustem Umerov, the national security advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a video conference. Dokos believed he was speaking to a genuine Ukrainian counterpart, seeing a convincing image on his screen. Sources close to Dokos later said the connection was supposed to be secure, but the deepfake technology used by the pranksters was able to bypass existing safeguards.

The pranksters published excerpts of the recorded call on social media, triggering immediate political reactions in Athens. The incident is the latest in a long string of similar deceptions by the same pair, who have targeted Western officials for over a decade.

What was discussed

The conversation centred on a recent incident involving a Ukrainian naval drone discovered off the coast of Lefkada. The fake officials warned that the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, acting autonomously from President Zelensky's office, might repeat similar operations near Greek islands, targeting Russian vessels or oligarch yachts. Dokos expressed strong concern, urging that such incidents not be repeated.

It is tourist season, there is increased shipping traffic. We understand the needs of the war, but we do not want the war to be transferred to our territory or territorial waters.

Dokos also shared his assessment that Greece would hold elections within the coming months, and noted that the head of the Greek intelligence service (EYP) was in Kyiv at that moment for contacts with Ukrainian officials. The pranksters claimed Dokos emphasised that a fresh maritime incident would seriously damage bilateral relations and the strong Greek reaction ahead of elections.

Political reaction

The main opposition party PASOK swiftly demanded Dokos’s resignation, arguing that the published material showed he shared sensitive estimates about election timing and the EYP chief’s mission.

The resignation of Mr. Dokos is a one-way street.

SYRIZA also weighed in, linking the case to a broader pattern of security lapses under the Mitsotakis government, from wiretapping scandals to cyber‑security weaknesses. The left-wing party stated that a government built on a “security” narrative had become a source of insecurity for the country.

Government's hybrid attack claim

Government sources indirectly confirmed the video's authenticity but insisted no confidential or classified information was leaked. They described the operation as a hybrid attack using extremely advanced artificial intelligence technology. A programme to upgrade communications security was already underway, they added.

The conversation… was a product of a hybrid attack with penetration of security protocols through the use of extremely advanced artificial intelligence technology.

The government’s line is that the country’s protocols must be revised in the face of fast-evolving deepfake capabilities, even when used by private individuals or pranksters.

The Vovan and Lexus pattern

Vladimir Kuznetsov (Vovan) and Alexei Stolyarov (Lexus) have spent more than a decade impersonating prime ministers, ministers, central bankers and other senior officials. Their targets are almost exclusively Western figures or supporters of Ukraine. Security analysts describe their operations as a tool of hybrid warfare, mixing espionage, influence operations and public exposure to undermine trust in institutions. The Dokos case, according to Greek media, shows that AI-based disinformation has entered a new era, where seeing and hearing someone on a screen is no longer proof of their identity.