Elton John hopes ‘Putin’ prank call highlights gay discrimination

Comedians Vladimir Krasnov and Aleksi Stolyarov told Russian media that they targeted the singer after he said he wished to meet the Russian president to discuss rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, Reuters reports.

John had initially posted a picture of Putin on his Instagram account on Tuesday night, thanking the president for speaking to him.

John is now in Ukraine, where he met with President Petro Poroshenko over the weekend to discuss banning gender and LGBT discrimination at workplaces and applying criminal penalties to hate crimes. “I will always stand up for those that are being degraded and discriminated against”, he said. Today, via another Instagram post, John called the prank “unfortunate” but said he was glad it helped push the issue of LGBT rights in Russian Federation “into the spotlight”.

Despite being made a fool on the worldwide stage, however, the singer reiterated his stance on Russia’s mistreatment of the LGBT community and his offer to discuss the matter with Putin. Putin’s spokesman, however, denied any communication between the two took place.

Krasnov, who is well known for fooling politicians on his YouTube channel, told a Russian newspaper that their ease in convincing Sir Elton was a result of his public call for talks.

Elton John originally told the BBC, “I’d love to meet him [Putin], I’d love to sit down and talk to him”. The pranksters behind the trick say they gave John what he called “the best day of his life”.

“Hello Sir Elton”, a man claiming to be Putin says in the recording.

“Pranks are amusing “, John wrote on Instagram.

Acting as a translator during the call, “Peskov” confirms a meeting will be arranged for the middle of November and asks John whether he will attend a gay pride march in Moscow at the same time.

“He said, ‘Thank you, you have made my day”.

On Wednesday, Putin’s press secretary Dmitri Peskov said the pranksters should apologise to John who, he added, was a well- respected figure in Russian Federation .