Canada’s foreign affairs minister has said that they will impose more penalties on the Russian government. This is because of the recent death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and Russia’s ongoing violations of human rights.
Melanie Joly said that on Sunday, six Russian government officials and workers in their legal system will be punished. The statement says they were part of hurting Navalny, punishing him in a mean way, and causing his death.
Navalny, who is 47 years old, was widely seen as the biggest enemy of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Ukraine and said that Putin was responsible for Navalny’s death. Navalny died suddenly in a prison in the Arctic where he was serving a long sentence.
The Kremlin said that accusations about Putin being involved in Navalny’s death are not true and are disrespectful.
Joly is asking Russia to investigate Navalny’s death carefully and openly. She sees Navalny as a person who gave hope to the Russian people and spoke up for freedom, fairness, democracy, and a better future for Russia.
Canada said they will take actions against another country on February. 23 Russian officials and businessmen and 153 companies were punished, along with the United States and the United Kingdom.
Tag: Russians
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Russians to face more sanctions from Canada over the death of Navalny
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Killers apologise for hurting Georgian fans with ‘brother’ statement about Russia
The Killers have issued an apology after lead singer Brandon Flowers asked a Russian fan to play drums on stage during a performance in Georgia.
He prompted jeers and walk-outs from some sections of the crowd when he urged them to consider the Russian fan as their “brother.”
With its neighbour, Georgia, which declared its independence from Russia in 1991, has long had problems.
Invading Georgia in 2008, Russia still controls a portion of the former Soviet republic.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, a number of Russians moved to Georgia, which hastened tensions.
After the show, the Killers released a statement on social media in which they stated: “Good people of Georgia, it was never our aim to hurt anyone!
We’ve had a long tradition of allowing individuals to play drums, and from the stage, it looked like the audience initially approved of tonight’s audience participation participant joining us onstage.
“We acknowledge that a phrase that was intended to imply that the Killers’ audience and fans are all ‘brothers and sisters’ may have been misinterpreted.
We apologies for upsetting anyone; that was not our intention. We support you and intend to be back shortly.
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Russia accuses Ukraine of setting fire to military call-up centres
A slew of arson attacks on military recruitment sites have been attributed to Ukraine by Russia, which claims that callers from that country are enticing elderly Russians into committing such crimes.
There is no evidence to support the assertion.
According to the prosecutor general’s office, Ukrainian agents called Russians under the guise of police or creditors and encouraged them to attack the centre in exchange for promises to pay off debts.
According to reports, some Russians were promised the return of their stolen savings.
In that allegedly fraudulent scheme, the victims were informed that thieves had obtained access to their savings but that if they attacked a job facility, they would receive their money back.
The victims were occasionally also told that the attack would aid in catching the offenders.
The mass-produced phone calls, according to the prosecution, were made as Russia advanced on the Ukrainian front.
The Russian interior ministry emphasised in its statement on the suspected frauds that assaults on military recruitment centres are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
According to BBC Europe analyst Alexander Schlichter, if accurate, Russia’s accusations paradoxically read as a huge tribute to the skill of Ukrainian intelligence personnel.
The Russian charge has not yet received a response from Ukrainian officials.
There have been numerous similar arson assaults in Russia since February 2022, when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, they have grown recently, concomitant with a fresh push for widespread recruitment that involved a significant official advertising campaign.
According to Sergei Mironov, a hardline nationalist lawmaker, 25 attempts to destroy the centres were made merely on August 1 and 2.
The Ukrainian contact centres mentioned in the schemes, according to Mr. Mironov’s letter to Sergei Shoigu, are now acceptable targets for the Russian military.
Russia’s maximum conscription age was raised by three years last month, expanding the pool of males eligible for conscription.
Prior to the modification, Russia’s mandatory military service requirement for all healthy men between the ages of 18 and 27 was one year. The maximum age is now 30.
According to estimates from the military ministry, 231,000 more soldiers were enlisted between 1 January and 3 August, according to the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
President Vladimir Putin started a “partial” national mobilisation in September, which scared many Russians and led to the emigration of thousands of eligible males.
According to Russian media, recent arson attacks on recruitment centres have included the following:
A 76-year-old pensioner attempted to set fire to an army recruitment centre on July 29 in Severodvinsk, in Russia’s Arctic region, but his Molotov cocktail hit the wall without lighting.
A retired doctor handed a huge sum of money to a con artist posing as a Federal Security Service (FSB) official on the same day in Kazan, a Volga River city east of Moscow. The conman then instructed her to set fire to a recruitment office, stating that if she did not, he would kill her daughter.
A Molotov cocktail was thrown into a recruitment centre in Feodosia, Crimea, on July 30, leading to the arrest of a 51-year-old school teacher. Crimea is currently under Russian occupation. She said that a contact on the Telegram messaging app had given her instructions.A recruitment centre in Podolsk, a city south of Moscow, was twice attacked by arsonists on July 31: first, a 76-year-old man and his 50-year-old son who had allegedly been victimised by fraudsters in a phone call, and then a 22-year-old catering manager who had allegedly also been the target of phone scammers promising to return stolen money.
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Head of MI6 publicly begs Russians to spy for the UK
In a rare speech on Wednesday, the chief of the British foreign intelligence service appealed to disgruntled Russians to spy for the UK.
Richard Moore urged Russians who were “wrestling with their conscience” to rebel against the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin when speaking in Prague, and he gave them the chance to “share secrets with MI6.”
As Moore continued, “there are many Russians today who are silently appalled by the sight of their armed forces pulverising Ukrainian cities, expelling innocent families from their homes, and kidnapping thousands of children.”
“They are watching in horror as their soldiers ravage a kindred country. They know in their hearts that Putin’s case for attacking a fellow Slavic nation is fraudulent,” he added.
In response, a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said that any citizens disaffected by the Putin regime who are tempted to spy for western intelligence should think again, warning of an outcome similar to that of the Skripals.
“As for ‘open doors and keeping secrets’, you perhaps would be believed if you showed us the Skripals. Usually those who believe you and trust you, end up being destroyed by you in the first place,” said Maria Zakharova in a statement posted on her Telegram channel on Wednesday.
In March 2018, a former GRU officer Sergei Skripal, convicted in Russia for treason, and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury, England. Moscow has denied any involvement as the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was lack of any evidence of Russia’s guilt in the case.
Zakharova also made light of Moore’s claims that Russia will not be able to regain momentum in the war after the MI6 chief said he was”optimistic” Ukraine would prevail against the Russian invasion. “If Russia had a ‘little chance’ to regain ground, you, Richard Moore, wouldn’t make such a fuss,” she said.
These comments come as Putin continues to escalate his war in Ukraine, with Russian forces mounting an aerial assault on the city of Odesa overnight into Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Russia’s termination of a crucial deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain has further ramped up diplomatic tensions, and the aftermath of an armed uprising by the Russian mercenary group Wagner last month – ended by a pardon for leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his departure to Belarus – continues to raise questions for Putin.
The MI6 chief told CNN that Prigozhin is alive and at liberty following the group’s 24-hour mutiny against the Kremlin, and that Putin is clearly under pressure.
“You don’t have a group of mercenaries advance up the motorway towards Moscow and get to within 125 kilometers of Moscow unless you have not quite predicted that was going to happen.”
Moore said that Putin “didn’t really fight back” against Prighozhin but instead had to cut a “humiliating deal” to bring the mutiny to an end. “He has to have realized, I am sure that something that is deeply rotten in the state of Denmark – to quote Hamlet – and he had to cut this deal.”
He also issued a warning to African states with connections to the Wagner Group that if Prigozhin could “betray” Putin, then it will betray them in turn.
Wagner mercenaries have been present in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, and Syria. Over the years they have developed a particularly gruesome reputation and have been linked to various human rights abuses.
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Russians urged to work as spies for UK – MI6 head
Russians who are’silently shocked’ by Vladimir Putin‘s conflict in Ukraine have been asked to join the British intelligence community as spies.
In a rare public address, Sir Richard Moore persuaded individuals who were unhappy with the invasion and their country’s way of life to divulge their information in order to stop the slaughter.
The head of MI6 revealed that’many’ had already made this decision in the previous 18 months.
In a speech in Prague, he said: ‘There are many Russians who are silently appalled by the sight of their armed forces pulverising Ukrainian cities, expelling innocent families from their homes and kidnapping thousands of children.
‘They are watching in horror as their soldiers ravage a kindred country.
‘They know in their hearts that Putin’s case for attacking a fellow Slavic nation is fraudulent, a miasma of lies and fantasy.’
Sir Richard stressed ‘many Russians are wrestling with the same dilemmas and the same tugs of conscience’ as their predecessors did in 1968 when the Soviet tanks crushed the Prague spring uprisings.
‘I invite them to do what others have already done this past 18 months and join hands with us. Our door is always open,’ the veteran intelligence officer said.
‘We will handle their offers of help with the discretion and professionalism for which my service is famed.
‘Their secrets will always be safe with us. And together we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end.’
His appeal comes just months after the US foreign intelligence service posted a recruitment video on Telegram, telling Russians how to get in touch with them anonymously and securely.
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Special forces of Ukraine promise to track down Russian war criminals ‘anywhere in the world’
A representative for the elite troops has stated that Ukraine’s special forces will be “heavily involved” in finding Russians responsible for atrocities.
After winning the conflict on the battlefield, the operators will work to hold individuals liable for war crimes and other cruel deeds, according to Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, who spoke to Metro.co.uk.
The representative of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) claimed that the ‘warriors’ are prepared to work with Kyiv’s intelligence and security services to find the criminals anywhere in the globe.
Last week, Metro.co.uk told how the civilian-led Tribunal 4 Putin coalition is recording Russian war crimes on a daily basis, with the figure currently standing at more than 45,000 since the start of the full-scale invasion.
A war crimes warrant has been issued for Vladimir Putin by the International Crime Court and work involving a number of international civilian and government agencies and organisations is underway to document and record new cases on a daily basis.
Ukraine’s special forces have undertaken wide-ranging operations since the start of the full-scale invasion (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine) ‘The main motivation for Ukraine’s SOF warriors is to free our land and bring the victory,’ Lt Col Kindratenko said.
‘But after the victory our motivation will be to make sure all those responsible for crimes are held accountable and to do everything possible to stop Russia starting aggression against any other nation in the region.
‘We spill our blood and sweat for other countries not to know what it is like.’
An insight into how the Russian atrocities committed in places like Bucha and Mariupol has fed into the mindset of Ukrainian soldiers was given earlier this week when a SOF sniper told how he channelled his ‘cold rage’ into his work on the battlefield in the eastern Donbas region.
In some cases, the operators haven’t had to look far, with Moscow’s troops recording their acts of brutality and sharing them on social media.
One gruesome example came in April 2023 when a video emerged appearing to show Russian soldiers beheading a Ukrainian prisoner of war.
‘Regarding holding Russia accountable for all those horrific atrocities, for the Ukrainian SOF it is a matter of principle and honour,’ the senior officer said.
‘I am convinced that Ukrainian SOF, in concert with other Intelligence and Security agencies, will be heavily involved in a process of holding all those war criminals accountable. The SOF are ready to conduct any operations and missions which are directed by higher military and political command.
‘Moreover, we are looking closely at and tracing all those atrocities which the occupiers film and publish online. I am more than sure that all those criminals will be punished and the SOF will play their role in this process.
‘Regardless of where in the world they might be, we will definitely find them.
‘The aggressor’s accountability for the crimes must be inevitable.’
Lt Col Kindratenko’s stern warning raises the prospect of Russians and their proxies who carried out or facilitated war crimes being hunted down in covert, integrated operations far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
The SOF units currently active on the battlefield include the 8th Separate Regiment, which is active in the Donbas and the Navy Seals-style 73rd Naval Centre, which spearheaded the liberation of Snake Island.
The use of special forces in hunting targets responsible for mass murder was famously deployed by Israel against Nazi war criminals and members of the Palestinian terror group who murdered 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. Parallels have already been drawn between the Mossad’s operations and the brief that might combine Kyiv’s SOF and intelligence services.
Ukraine’s ability to pinpoint Russian generals on occupied territory has already been demonstrated. On Tuesday, Lieutenant-General Oleg Tsokov, who knew Putin personally, was said by Ukrainian and Russian sources to have been killed in a strike with a UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile.
A series of mystery explosions and assassinations have also taken place on Russian soil since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, although no party has claimed responsible for these. On Monday, Russian army officer Stanislav Rzhitsky, said to have commanded a submarine responsible for deadly missile attacks on Ukraine, was gunned down while jogging in his home city of Krasnodar. Drone strikes have also taken the war to Moscow, including through the double attack on the Kremlin citadel in May.
Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any of the incidents, although some have drawn wry and cryptic remarks from officials.
Lt Col Kindratenko also delivered an uncompromising message about restoring Ukraine’s lawful borders as they were as of 1991, when the nation gained independence from the former Soviet Union.
‘One more reason why we are fighting is that no one should be above the law, especially international law,’ he said. ‘Our Supreme Commander in Chief, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has stated many times that Ukrainian territorial integrity is not a matter for discussion.
‘And this includes the Crimean Peninsula and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and all territories which were illegally captured by Russia.
‘Our goal is to return our territories as of 1991 when Ukrainian independence was proclaimed. Of course, there are different developments and timeframes, but we will do everything possible to make that happen.’
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are reportedly making hard-fought advances on at least three fronts in the east of the country.
While the fighting has been intense and costly for both sides, Ukraine is developing its training for the elite operators.
Lessons learned on the battlefield have been integrated into the ‘Q’ or qualification course, with three held since the beginning of the full-scale invasion so far. A milestone was reached this week when the first woman, known only as ‘Number 68’, passed the gruelling selection.
Lt Col Kindratenko gave Metro.co.uk a rare insight into the work taking place to produce Ukraine’s next generation of special operators.
‘All of the instructors who are in the training have their own combat experience which they transfer to the candidates,’ he said.
‘This course is unique among all such courses within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It comprises the experience we have gained from our Western partners, as well as our own experiences from the very beginning of the Russian aggression against our country.
‘We have enough service members from all branches and services of the Armed Forces who are willing to become a part of the SOF family.
‘In their units, in their positions, they have reached a certain level of mastery, but they feel the potential and ability to be better and perform tasks as part of the Special Operations Forces.’
Those graduating from the Q course include military personnel who are already battle-hardened and under no illusions about the dangers they face after 17 months of all-out war.
‘Given that candidates are making this decision during a full-scale war, they understand all the challenges and risks that SOF operators face while conducting special operations,’ Lt Col Kindratenko said.
‘Most of them see with their own eyes the work of the SOF in combat conditions, its effectiveness and efficiency, and understand its importance and want to join it themselves.
‘But disregarding the fact that we are currently fighting a war, the selection and training process is even harder than it was before.
‘Our motto says that “Quality Prevails Quantity” and we stick to it. Well-trained and equipped operators are a priority for us.’
Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, which advises Mr Zelenskyy, raised the prospect of a clandestine form of justice taking place in parallel to work by international courts aimed at bringing Putin and others in front of The Hague.
‘I hope that the covert operations will continue after Ukraine wins the victory, as the system of international justice is a slow and ineffective instrument,’ he said. ‘The issue of establishing justice to make war criminals accountable is very important so I hope it will be done.
‘Striking at war criminals and applying all the different types of measures available would be an important option to complement the work of the international courts, such as the International Criminal Court.’
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces were said to have made gains ‘in some areas’ as they conducted counter-offensive areas in at least three sectors of the front, the US Institute for the Study of War said.
The main thrusts of attack were reported by the UK Ministry of Defence as being likely targeted at the area around Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region to the south and Vuhledar and Bakhmut further north.
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Russia ‘poised for nuclear plant attack that leaks radiation’
Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Putin is prepared to authorise a “terrorist attack” on a nuclear power plant in Ukraine that will result in grave civilian casualties.
The president of Ukraine said that his intelligence agents had learned of a plot involving “the release of radiation” from the nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia.
He went on to say that since “radiation knows no national borders and who it hits is determined only by the direction of the wind,” other European nations could be impacted.
The Russians are ‘considering’ whether to launch the attack but have ‘prepared everything’ needed for it, Mr Zelensky added.
His warning, which came in a video statement, follows claims by Ukraine’s spy chief that Russia has laid mines at Zaporizhzhia since occupying it last February.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, said the mines were placed beneath the plant’s cooling pond, a large man-made reservoir used to keep machinery at safe temperatures.
The plant’s six reactor cores have been put into ‘cold shutdown’, which means damaging or destroying the pond would be unlikely to cause a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl – when a reactor melted down and exploded.
But a number of other cooling systems critical to safety are still required to stay running, and could lead to severe radiation leakage if knocked out.
The Kremlin dismissed Ukraine’s allegation as ‘another lie’.
Mr Zelensky did not base what evidence the assertion was based on, but added: ‘The world has been warned, so the world can and must act.
‘We share all available information with our partners – everyone in the world. All the evidence. Europe, America, China, Brazil, India, the Arab world, Africa – all countries, absolutely everyone should know this. International organizations. All of them.
‘There should never be any terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants, anywhere. This time it should not be like with Kakhovka: the world has been warned, therefore, the world can and must act.’
It was previously suggested Russia could be planning to simulate a radiation leak at Zaporizhzhia in order to hamper Ukraine’s new counter-offensive.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine claimed it had identified a plan to shell the plant and announce a major radiation leak, which would force an investigation by independent nuclear authorities, during which time all hostilities would be forced to stop.
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Ukraine launches a counterattack and deploys Western tanks into combat
Rumours that Kyiv’s long-awaited counterattack is ready to begin are being fed by the heavy fighting that is taking place today in southeast Ukraine.
In the heaviest fight since Kyiv started its campaign to liberate captured regions, Ukrainian artillery “came in waves,” according to Russian sources operating in southern Zaporizhia.
Russians were told to depart the nearby occupied city of Berdyansk after hearing blasts and a major fire starting at a nearby facility.
‘At the moment, active combat is ongoing in the region between Orekhovo and Tokmak,’ Vladimir Rogov, an official with Russian occupation authorities, said, referring to a locality known in southern Ukraine as Orikhiv.
Alexander Sladkov, a correspondent for Russian media, also wrote of ‘intense fighting’ in the area on Telegram.
It comes as Ukraine sent Western tanks into battle for the first time in a major assault on the southern front that marked the launch of its long-awaited counter-offensive.
US officials confirmed the engagements in the Zaporizhzhia region yesterday appeared to be the start of a main thrust.
The heavy fighting resulted in losses on both sides, with US officials noting the Russians had put up ‘stiff resistance’.
Last night, the Ukrainian government offered scant details about the long awaited counter-offensive.
But Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar confirmed fighting was taking place in southern Ukraine: ‘Battles continue for Velyka Novosilka in the Novopavlovsk direction,’ she said.
‘In the Orikhiv area, the enemy is already on the defensive.’
However, Maliar also downplayed the scale of the fighting in the south, and said the east was Ukraine’s real target.
‘The situation is tense in all areas of the front line. The east is the epicentre,’ she wrote on Telegram.
‘The enemy continues to concentrate its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka directions’, she added, referring to eastern cities where fighting has been raging for months.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also hailed what he described as ‘results’ in heavy fighting in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
‘There is very heavy fighting in Donetsk region,’ President Zelensky said in his daily video message, following a visit to the areas affected by the breach of the Nova Kakhovka power dam.
‘But there are results and I am grateful to those who achieved these results. Well done in Bakhmut. Step by step.’
However, some Russian sources are sceptical of Kyiv’s claims that the main thrust of the counterattack has begun in earnest.
Pro-Kremlin blogger Zapiski Veterana (Notes of a Veteran) said: ‘I think we can already talk about the beginning of Ukraine’s long-announced offensive.
‘There hasn’t been such movement on the front for a long time. The Ukrainians came in waves.’
The angle of the attacks suggested Ukraine’s objective priority was to piece through Russia’s defences to reach the cities of Tokmak, Melitopol and Berdyansk on the Black Sea coast and cut off the Crimean peninsula.
Veterana added: ‘All their [Ukrainian] forces are being thrown forward. The enemy has managed to seize several heights but they did not manage a deep breakthrough.’
A third advance around the heavily bombarded settlement of Bakhmut also took place yesterday, with Ukrainian sources saying its troops had gained a mile of ground around the city.
Unverified photos from last night appeared to show a German-made Leopard tank which had been destroyed by the Russians.
Russian reports also claim a column of tanks was destroyed at Novopokrovka in Zaporizhia, although these claims are also unconfirmed.
On a visit to Kherson today Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the international response to the incident, in particular the United Nations which is responsible for providing flood relief.
The Ukrainian president praised rescue workers for their exhaustive efforts and said today’s priority was to ‘protect lives’.
He said to them: ‘You are going through this difficult ordeal now. We will help you and rebuild everything which needs to be restored. I thank you and wish you good health.’
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”Fake Putin broadcast declaring martial law airs on Russian TV
After leaking an elaborately faked statement from Vladimir Putin, hackers instilled fear in the hearts of millions of Russians about a full-scale Ukrainian attack.
Putin appeared to impose martial law in the message and said that Ukrainian forces had “entered the territories of Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk.”
A video message that initially appeared as a radio broadcast and eventually made its way onto the country’s state media later went viral on social media, with numerous clips of the emergency appeal.
The announcement, sounding like an official broadcast from Putin, said: ‘Fellow citizens, brothers and sisters, at 4am today Ukrainian troops, armed to the teeth by the NATO bloc, with approval and support from Washington, have entered the territories of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
‘Our border guards and Armed Forces are fighting back the superior troops of the aggressor. My order introduced martial law in Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
Russian radio hit by ‘major hack’ with Putin impersonator imposing ‘martial law’
‘Also today, I will sign a law [to declare] general mobilisation because in order to fight a dangerous and treacherous enemy we would need to unite all forces of the Russian Federation.
‘I am asking residents of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions to evacuate deeper into Russia, maintaining order and peace.’
The broadcast added: ‘Strictly follow orders by local military administration while leaving your living place, to give the Russian army the chance to defend Russian land from Ukrainian Nazis. The enemy will be destroyed, the victory will be ours.’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted the Russian media had been caught out and branded the special Putin broadcast a ‘hack’.
‘Experts have already taken control and eliminated the hack, due to which some TV networks showed ‘Putin’s emergency appeal’,’ said Peskov.
While it remains unclear who was behind the attack, Russian officials immediately blamed Ukraine.
It appeared TV channels had repeated the message after it was first broadcast on FM radio stations across at least Belgorod, Rostov and Voronezh regions.
The latest hack across a wide area of western Russia increases the feeling that Putin’s government is losing control.
Ironically, though, the ‘Putin broadcast’ promoted calls among the autocrat’s most ardest supporters to properly announce mass mobilisation and martial law.
Putin has so far resisted such moves fearing a backlash from Russians already suffering from his ill-conceived war.
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Russians succeeds in tricking Jerome Powell, head of the Federal Reserve
The president of the US central bank looks to be the most recent public figure to fall victim to two Russian practical jokers.
A video call with Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell was shared on Russian television from the duo, whose prior targets include Prince Harry and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Fed said Mr Powell had spoken to someone in January he thought was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
It said it had referred the matter to law enforcement.
“It was a friendly conversation and took place in a context of our standing in support of the Ukrainian people in this challenging time,” a spokesperson said. “No sensitive or confidential information was discussed.”
Comedians Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov – known as Vovan and Lexus – claimed credit for the stunt.
They previously claimed to have pranked the likes of Elton John, Polish President Andrzej Duda, the head of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
As foreign secretary in 2018, Boris Johnson had a conversation credited to the pair, who are supporters of Vladimir Putin.
The UK government said then it believed the Kremlin was behind the call.
The Fed said the video with Mr Powell appeared to have been edited and it could not confirm its accuracy.
In one of the clips shared on Russian television, Mr Powell praised Russia’s central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina for managing the Russian economy amid Western sanctions, according to the BBC Monitoring service.
Other video now circulating on the internet shows Mr Powell describing a sharp slowdown in growth in the US, following the bank’s efforts to rein in price rises.
“We would tell you that a recession is almost as likely as very slow growth,” he said of expectations for 2023. “I think that is partly because of us having raised rates quite a bit but this is what it takes to get inflation down.”
News of the call set social media abuzz in the business world, where commentary from Mr Powell often moves financial markets.
“The Federal Reserve can’t get a break these days,” economist Mohamed A El-Erian wrote, while sharing the story which was first reported by Bloomberg.
“Embarrassing moment for the Fed,” chimed in Jesse Cohen, global markets analyst at Investing.com.