A «prank» by the Russian pranksters Vovan & Lexus, with the Secretary General of National Security, Thanos Dokos, who believed he was speaking with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s national security adviser, Rustem Usmerov, has brought to light security gaps and raised questions about what can ultimately be considered a a «secure connection» for government officials dealing with national security and defense issues.
According to sources close to Mr. Dokos who spoke to in, the Secretary General of National Security did not simply think he was talking to Usmerov, but could actually see him on his screen during their video call.
The same sources reported that the connection was «secure,» but as the outcome shows, not secure enough to detect a deepfake of this caliber, noting that technology now—even in the hands of amateur pranksters—allows for the use of such software and artificial intelligence, making it imperative to review security protocols.
The sources who spoke to *in* indirectly suggested that the pranksters did not act as mere private citizens.
He spoke about the incident involving the Ukrainian drone
The conversation refers to the case of the Ukrainian naval drone that was detected off the coast of Lefkada and the potential consequences that a recurrence of such an incident could have on Greek-Ukrainian relations.
The prankster claims that Zelenskyy is apologizing for the incident; however, there are elements within his government who want to create problems in relations between Greece and Ukraine, while also mentioning disagreements between Zelensky and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. They emphasize, however, that both Zelensky and the intelligence services acknowledge the problem, however, the Ministry of Defense does not consider itself at fault and is working against the Office of the President, and a similar incident could recur near a Greek island; for this reason, there should be contact Zelenskyy’s office and the Secretary General of National Security.
Dokos, for his part, notes that Athens understands Ukraine’s wartime needs, while stressing that efforts must be made to prevent a recurrence and underscoring the need to keep channels of communication open.
He notes that «it is the tourist season, and there is increased shipping traffic. We understand the needs of the war, but we do not want the war to spill over into our territory or territorial waters,» reiterating that this is also the prime minister’s position.
The reference to the elections
Mr. Dokos also emphasizes that Greece is heading toward elections and that a repeat of such an incident would create «very serious problems» for the Greek government. «Please warn anyone planning such an action. These are particularly busy waters, and any incident that would affect the safety of navigation and tourism would cause serious problems in our bilateral relations.».
He also points out that Greece is losing tourists, who are now traveling to Turkey and elsewhere.
The prankster notes that the military has a mind of its own and that he will try to convince their Minister of Defense, but, as he says, the minister is a «madman.».
Thanos Dokos responds that if he doesn’t want to listen to Zelenskyy, he should consider whether the damage to a Russian ship is worth Ukraine losing Greece’s support. «He has to decide whether it’s worth losing Greece’s support to destroy a Russian ship. It’s that simple.».
Mr. Dokos is asking for an explanation of exactly this, while the prankster seems concerned that a repeat of the incident could lead to a tense standoff between Greece and Ukraine.
Dokos responds that this could be a turning point in Greek-Ukrainian relations.
Ukraine and NATO
Regarding the NATO Summit and the possibility of Ukraine’s candidacy, Dokos states that he does not believe NATO is ready to discuss the possibility of Ukraine becoming a full member of NATO, and notes that the summit’s priority will be to send a message of unity and U.S. support to NATO.
On the issue of Ukraine's accession to the EU, Dokos notes that Ukraine's full accession would meet with resistance from certain large member states.
PASOK Calls for Resignation
PASOK reacted strongly to the news of the Russian hoax at the General Secretariat for National Security, stating that «Mr. Dokou’s resignation is the only way forward.».
«A video of a recorded conversation between the Secretary General of National Security, Mr. Thanos Dokos, and Russian nationals posing as Ukrainian officials has been in the public eye for hours now. The Prime Minister’s advisor appears to be sharing his assessments regarding the timing of the elections in Greece —even analyzing the impact of the Ukrainian issue on them—while also sharing information about the EYP Director’s mission to Kyiv,» PASOK states in its announcement.
And it calls for answers to the following questions:
Is the published audiovisual material authentic?;
Why won't the government clarify what happened?;
In conclusion, the PASOK statement emphasizes that «the New Democracy government of the »best and brightest« has remained silent for hours regarding this unprecedented incident» and insists that “Mr. Dokos’s resignation is the only way forward.”.
Unease at the Prime Minister's Office
Authoritative sources speaking to *in* noted that, so far, there has been no request for Mr. Dokos to resign from the Prime Minister’s Office.
At the same time, sources at the Maximos Mansion are referring to «a hybrid attack that breached security protocols through the use of highly advanced artificial intelligence technology.».
As they note, «a program is already underway to enhance communications security in an ever-evolving environment of hybrid attacks.».
And they maintain that there was «no leak of confidential or classified information» during the conversation, noting that «similar attacks have been carried out in the past against high-ranking European officials.».
