Nonetheless, the April 1 article, "Medvedev Takes On 'The Beast,'" by MT arts editor Kevin O'Flynn, was picked up by news outlets around the world.
"Reports in Russia claim the ZiL limousine, which President Dmitry Medvedev is bringing to London, is so tough it can survive a small nuclear attack 'if the wind is blowing in a certain direction,'" Britain's The Guardian wrote Thursday, quoting the MT article.
Ironically, the MT hoax had referred to a Guardian story describing Obama's car, nicknamed "The Beast" as "the ultimate in heavy armored transport" and suggested that The Guardian might have to print a correction given Medvedev's supposedly superior vehicle.
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A reporter for the Indo-Asian News Service actually contacted the London bureau of Itar-Tass to ask about the car, which The Moscow Times reported had been nicknamed "Begemot," or Hippopotamus.
"Hippo? What hippo? No, my friend, we have never heard of this limousine you are talking about. We are a bit busy covering the G20 summit, you know. Bye," IANS quoted an Itar-Tass reporter as saying.
The IANS reporter apparently was tipped off about the story by BBC News. "An excited BBC correspondent, live on television, urged news anchors to 'watch out for' Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's limousine, saying rumor had it that it was even better than Obama's," IANS wrote.
The IANS reporter found the MT story after an online search and realized it was a joke when he reread a phrase about Medvedev's car having "more curtains on the back window" than The Beast.
The story also attracted attention in Russia. The full article was translated by the web site Inopressa.ru, though judging by readers' comments, few had any illusions that it was anything but a ruse.
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