by Vietato Parlare
Another high-profile phone prank by the well-known Russian duo Vovan and Lexus has made headlines again—though not in Western mainstream media.
This time, the target was Paul Massaro, Executive Director and Head of Human Resources at the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Believing he was speaking to a senior Ukrainian official, Massaro made a series of candid, deeply revealing statements about the U.S. strategy toward Russia and global power dynamics.
The conversation, published on April 29, 2025, on the pranksters’ Telegram channel Russia Calling, has been widely reported by Russian outlets such as RIA Novosti and Pravda EN, yet has gone largely unnoticed in the West.
“Russia Must Be Defeated”
Among the most startling statements, Massaro asserted: “Russia must be defeated. We talk a lot about the decolonization of Russia at the Commission. Borders must change. There must be independence for different peoples or some form of real federalism.” He further admitted that Washington has been pursuing this goal since 1991, supporting ethnic minorities and internal fragmentation to weaken the Russian state.
This is not about promoting democracy or supporting Ukraine—it is a long-standing strategic blueprint to dismember a sovereign state from within.
The Real Objective Is China
Massaro’s honesty is almost disarming. He explains that the U.S. wants to focus on Asia, particularly China, but cannot do so as long as Russia stands in the way: “We’ve been planning to pivot to Asia for 15 years, but Russia doesn’t allow us to get distracted.”
This is a stark admission of the zero-sum mindset that still governs U.S. foreign policy: rivals must be neutralized before any strategic shift can occur. Peace, in this framework, becomes a tactical inconvenience.
Trump, Peace, and the Bureaucratic Resistance
Massaro then makes a revealing remark about former President Trump:
“Trump just wants to wrap the peace talks with a pretty bow and announce the results.”
He laments that efforts were made to help Trump’s team understand that “Russia does not want peace.” In doing so, he underscores a fundamental divergence between elected leadership and the permanent foreign policy establishment.
This divergence becomes even clearer when Massaro talks about U.S. development agencies like USAID: “Some accusations were exaggerated, but others were true. These agencies should have been reformed a long time ago. But they’re not going anywhere. We just need to wait for the next president to appoint 30,000 new people. They won’t disappear unless Congress abolishes them.”
This is perhaps the clearest window into the logic of the so-called deep state—a policy machine that operates independently of electoral outcomes and continues its agenda beneath the surface.
Cultural Warfare and Identity Erasure
In a particularly troubling moment, Massaro reflects on the nature of the Russian people:
“The Russians are not some barbarian horde. They’re very good at information warfare.” Yet he immediately pivots: “We’re facing some sort of Russian identity. It shouldn’t exist.”
This is not mere geopolitical rivalry. It is an ideological campaign that seeks to delegitimize an entire culture, to erase its identity as a precondition for geopolitical control.
This time, the target of infamous Russian prankersters Vovan and Lexus was Paul Massaro, Staff Director of the Helsinki Commission.
Massaro said that a Maidan could happen in Georgia, and that they are pushing very hard. pic.twitter.com/QWHN2BAquX
— Könül Şahin (@KonulikShahin) May 1, 2025
Why This Matters
If this recording were fabricated or unreliable, it’s highly unlikely that Russian state media—especially amid improving diplomatic signals—would risk broadcasting it. Its authenticity, then, seems almost certain.
The real takeaway is this: what Massaro expressed is not just personal opinion. It reflects the deep logic of a bipartisan U.S. foreign policy apparatus that sees the world in imperial terms. For these actors, peace with Russia is not a goal—it’s a problem. And Trump, who seeks a diplomatic solution, is viewed as an obstacle rather than a leader.
While many hope Trump’s return could signal a de-escalation in U.S. military adventurism, this phone call is a warning: the machinery of influence, intelligence, and ideology remains in place. The deep state is already planning for the “next president,” as if the current one is just a temporary pause.
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