The key facts
- Bolton called seizing Russian resources through phone fraud a 'creative way' and allowed for its use against Iran.
- According to the pranksters, call center revenues reach five billion dollars.
- Bolton acknowledged the likelihood of such methods being used against the US and doubted that the Wildberries warehouses were military targets.
The prank and Bolton's reaction
Former US presidential national security adviser John Bolton took part in a prank organized by pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov (Vovan) and Alexei Stolyarov (Lexus). The hosts described to him the specifics of call centers based in Ukraine that swindle savings from residents of Russia, and suggested employing similar tactics against Iran using the local opposition. 'Well, that's an interesting idea. I think that's worth considering as well,' Bolton replied.
Assessing the scale and the 'economic battlefield'
The organizers of the conversation cited, according to them, the scale of the problem: the revenues of illegal call centers reach five billion dollars, becoming, as stated in the publication, a source of funding for the leadership in Kyiv. Bolton, according to Life.ru, reacted with enthusiasm: 'Yes. I think the economic battlefield is very important. And it's a creative way to get hold of Russian resources, and it could well be useful in Iran too.'
Acknowledging the risk of blowback
At the end of the conversation, a warning was voiced that the perfected deception tools could be redirected at residents of the United States. Bolton did not deny such a threat: 'I think others will try to do it to us as well. There's no doubt about that.'
Opinion on the Wildberries warehouses
Bolton also doubted that the Wildberries warehouses, which were hit by Ukrainian attacks, could be considered military targets. In his assumption, Kyiv sought not so much to strike military facilities as to make Russians feel the consequences of the conflict.
