Russian pranksters fool J.K. Rowling

In a video posted to a Russian website this week, renowned U.K. author J.K. Rowling is seen on a video call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss her foundation’s efforts in Ukraine. “Out of solidarity with Ukraine, I am not proceeding with certain business interests in Russia,” the author of the Harry Potter series says. But as the conversation continues, the faceless voice that claimed to be Zelenskyy suggests, among other things, that she change Harry Potter’s lightning-boltshaped scar to a Ukrainian coat of arms, because the current iteration looks like a “Z,” a symbol of support for the Russian invasion.

“It might be good for me to do something with that myself on social media, because I think that would get into newspapers,” Rowling responds. The call was in fact from a Russian prankster duo known as Vovan and Lexus, who support Russia. A spokesperson for Rowling lambasted the prank, saying “J.K. Rowling was approached to talk about her extensive charitable work in Ukraine, supporting children and families. The video, which has been edited, is a distorted representation of the conversation.”