After Spanish defence minister María Dolores de Cospedal was a victim of a telephone prank by two Russian humorists, the television network Russia Today has now taken the opportunity to make jokes at the expense of the politician responsible for Spain's armed forces.
Puigdemont, ¿un espía?: Bromistas rusos se burlan de la ministra de Defensa española https://t.co/edBTUBlIHL pic.twitter.com/22nnJBtP4w
— RT in Español (@ActualidadRT) 18 of November 2017
Translation: Catalan president Puigdemont, a spy? Russian pranksters ridicule the Spanish minister of defence. - RT in Spanish.
In the on-air joke, humorists Alexéi Stoliarov and Vladímir Kuznetsov managed to get Cospedal to agree to a meeting with a false government of Latvia which, they claimed, wanted to send tanks to Catalonia, also assuring the Spanish minister that Catalan president Puigdemont was a spy, as the radio broadcaster Sputnik revealed. The comics presented themselves as representatives of the Latvian government, and had the minister completely convinced. She even informed Spanish president Mariano Rajoy of their proposals.
The conversation between the false Latvian minister and the Spanish minister went on for 12 minutes. Afterwards, Cospedal indicated on her Twitter account that the call had been "very strange".
Fue una conversación muy rara, pedí hablar en inglés y no quisieron; han quitado a la traductora. Como no confié, dejé hablar y no volví a llamar. Ahora sé que eran rusos
— Mª Dolores Cospedal (@mdcospedal) 17 of November 2017
It was a very strange conversation, I asked to speak in English and they didn't want to; they got rid of the translator. As I didn't trust them, I let them speak and didn't call back. I now know they were Russians. - Maria Dolores Cospedal
Other Twitter users who could not understand how the minister could be fooled by the comedians added their own jokes on the social network:
Putin advierte a Cospedal: 'Los humoristas de Sputnik no son hijos míos; mi agente Cipollino ha descubierto que lo estabas pensando". pic.twitter.com/uv8b5M7IWK
— vuneo (to) (@vuneo) 18 November 2017
Putin warns Cospedal: 'The Sputnik comedians are not my sons: my agent Cipollino has found out what you were thinking".
-Cospedal al aparato, digamelón pic.twitter.com/KEnFFN4hjC
— ZOTON (@catacerca) 18 of November 2017
Cospedal speaking, what can I doozie for you?
Venga, no me digáis que no la echábamos de menos. Chic@s Cospedal ha vuelto!!! https://t.co/FzrFsq9gpt pic.twitter.com/Zt8q51wS8k
— Tito_gyc (@Tito_gyc) 18 of November 2017
Don't tell me you didn't miss her. Kids, Cospedal is back!
Cospedal pic.twitter.com/MVCa0ObZmV
— ANTman (@RobertoVegaRam2) 18 of November 2017
LOS SIMPSON YA SABÍAN LO DE COSPEDAL
— HUMOR|MOOD CHILD|SWINE (@jcarlos2001) 18 of November 2017
¿QUE SI ESTA EL ESPÍA RUSO PUIG DE MONSKY?
¿ME DIJO PUIG DE MONSKY?
¿Pe...pe....pero de que se ríe? pic.twitter.com/jfhOcA2oAf
The Simpson's already knew about Cospedal:
And if he's the Russian spy Puig de Monsky?
Did you say Puig de Monsky?
Bu...bu...but what are you laughing at?
In response, Spain's Popular Party, of which Cospedal is Secretary-General, accused Russia of "continuing to mislead and manipulate against the democratic development of Catalonia".
En Rusia siguen intoxicando y manipulando contra el desarrollo democrático en Cataluña https://t.co/Nusln5utfN
— Partido Popular (@PPopular) 17 of November 2017