# OpenAI Fooled by Russian Pranksters Into Thinking They Were Speaking to Ukrainian Official

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/openai-fooled-by-russian-pranksters-into-thinking-they-were-speaking-to-ukrainian-official/
- Published: 2026-11-11T23:53:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T00:26:10+00:00
- Original publisher: The Intercept (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://theintercept.com/2026/11/11/openai-ukraine-russia-prank-security/
- Topics: AI, Europe, Politics, Technology, World

## Key points

- Russian pranksters posed as a Ukrainian official to speak with OpenAI staff.
- The 17-minute call covered possible military AI support for Ukraine.
- OpenAI said it investigated and took steps to prevent repeat incidents.

## Summary

Three senior OpenAI national security staff were tricked into a 17-minute video call with Russian pranksters posing as Ukrainian officials. The conversation matters because it exposed candid discussion of possible military support for Ukraine, including offensive AI capabilities, and raised questions about how the company verifies sensitive contacts.

The pranksters, Vovan and Lexus, claimed to be Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service; the recording was posted online. OpenAI said it investigated, confirmed the call was a prank, and acted to prevent similar incidents. Staff discussed contact with the Pentagon, work involving Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and the Daybreak Blue model, and reluctance within OpenAI to support offensive military uses. The company has a reported $200 million US Department of War contract for military AI applications.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.