Ukrainian Intelligence in Panic: Too Many Ukrainians Cheered on Russian Soccer Team at World Cup
The Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus called Vasily Gritsak, head of the Security Service of Ukraine. They pretended to be Arkady Babchenko, the journalist whose death had been staged by the SSU. They talked about the recent match between Russia and Spain, which was the most popular game of the World Cup on Ukrainian television.
Anton Podkovenko has the details of the call.
The Russian pranksters attacked as precisely as Dzyuba made it into Spain's net. It's Ukraine's mixed reaction to Russia's feat in soccer that made Vovan and Lexus call Vasily Gritsak, chief of the SSU, pretending to be Arkady Babchenko, the journalist allegedly killed and resurrected by Ukraine's intelligence agencies. The reaction was as follows.
"There is no god. The beautiful and skilled Spain goes home, while the Paralympians who spent two hours standing by their own net make it to the next stage".
"100% reliable info: Chelsea is buying 7 players of Spain National Team! And who owns Chelsea? Abramovich! They received instructions before the match. You see what's going on?"
They also write that Akinfeev is the Kremlin's foot. An awkward sense of humor. But let's return to Babchenko, the pranksters, and Gritsak.
— I was just beaten up while in downtown.
— Where?
— Downtown Kiev.
— I was attacked while watching the match.
— Kostya, where were our guys?
— They had some too. They tried to use guns but ran away.
Indeed, Babchenko does have guards. He even complained on social media that he can't live a normal life, for example, to go to the movies; and he also suggested to his followers to give him donations. What is interesting is that Gritsak called Arkady Babchenko "Konstantine".
Vladimir Kuznetsov, prankster: "He might have forgotten the name of the "journalist". Or he might be nicknamed "Konstantine" for the sake of anonymity. If it's his new secret name, new guise, then the head of SSU seems to have given away Arkady's little secret".
Maybe the SSU is trying to forget Babchenko? He thinks he's a media personality, but the operation by Ukraine's security forces failed spectacularly, turning into a silly fake.
— I was watching the Russia vs. Spain match…
— Yes, Russia vs. Spain.
— Yes... Apparently, someone didn't like it. Well, I mean those who often go there. So they attacked me. I even saw someone from the Anti-Terrorist Operation there.
— Wait a second. How do journalists know it?
— I have no idea, no explanation. Apparently, somebody told someone, somebody figured it out... Now I'm being harassed by them. I just... The first thing I said was that it was another Russian provocation.
— Kostya, calm down, I'll do what I can. Men are coming to you.
Again, Kostya! Sounds absurd, but typical of today's Kiev which doesn't know how to react to these videos by fans from Odessa and other cities that have invaded the internet.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Hurray! Russia!"
That's what a Ukrainian journalist was told in a Ukrainian sports bar: "Only the game matters, wherever the match is held — be it North Korea or Russia. Will you accuse me of separatism for watching the World Cup?”
Alexey Zhuravko, Ukrainian people's deputy: "Most of the Kherson region rooted for the Russian team. It was also the case in Nikolaev, Odessa. They're trying to pervert and misinterpret facts to the Ukrainian people, but you should know that there's an information war going on now".
But football has no borders, of which the World Cup is an example. And what stands out isn't impotent toxicity, but posts like this: "We won! Brothers, Slavs! Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, we're united!".
Anton Podkovenko, Anna Pogonina for Vesti.