Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive ex-head of the BTA Bank and founding president of the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (QDT) party [1], was taken in by Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus (who had also fooled French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019).

In the gag, the two Russians pretended to be associates of Alexei Navalny and discussed by videoconference with Mukhtar Ablyazov of their joint alliance for the overthrow of dictatorships in Kazakhstan and Russia, but also in Ukraine and Venezuela.

Despite the mountain backdrop behind him, Mukhtar Ablyazov spoke from Paris where he has political asylum. He boasted of having dedicated 4 years to the organization of the attempted regime change in Kazakhstan.

They concluded the conversation standing up, to the sound of the European Union anthem.

[1] “Washington pursues RAND’s plan in Kazakhstan, then in Transnistria”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Edouard Feoktistov, Voltaire Network, 11 January 2022