Senior Russian politician says Twitter account is fake, he avoids social media

(Interfax – January 15, 2013)

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov does not do social media and the Twitter account in his name, although “witty and sometimes even funny”, is an impostor, Interfax news agency reported on 15 January.

Surkov conceded that the account had fooled many. “My friends increasingly think that @SurkovRussia is actually me,” he told an Interfax correspondent. “They ask me about it and even compliment me. But I have to tell them that this account is nothing to do with me, directly or indirectly.”

In fact, he neither tweets nor blogs, he continued. “During the New Year holiday I had time to take a look at the account. Some of it is witty and sometimes even funny but it’s not me. I don’t have any social media accounts at all, of any kind. That might be unusual in this day and age, but it’s true.”

(Surkov was moved to the government in December 2011. He was previously first deputy head of the presidential administration and was regarded by many as the Kremlin’s main ideologue and political fixer. @SurkovRussia describes himself as “The Grey Cardinal: I sow intrigue and deal in plots, in brief I steer the state on the quiet.” The account contains mildly satirical and humorous tweets and has nearly 28,500 followers.)