Russian Embassy in US trolls collusion cranks, starts 'best fake news' contest

Riding high on the collapse of the Russiagate narrative, the Russian Embassy in the United States has kicked off a 'best fake news' contest to poke fun at Trump-Russian collusion claims, urging users to submit entries for the best false story about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential race.

The Embassy did not specify how to submit their materials, or what kinds of prizes the 'winners' would receive. However, social media users, both Russian and American, were eager to offer suggestions, with one user suggesting it would be a "toss up between #CNN and #MSNBC" in terms of the overall volume of meddling claims.

A few users came up with their own 'creative' entries, joking that Russia may have poisoned the US water supply to get Americans to vote for Trump, or quipping that collusion investigator Mueller would now be investigated for possible collusion with Russia.

Finally, Vladimir 'Vovan' Kuznetsov, a comedian known for his prank calls to world leaders, confidently boasted that he and his colleague Alexei 'Lexus' Stoliarov would "take the whole pedestal". The pair of pranksters are well-known for their telephone antics and discussions about 'Russian meddling' with senior US officials, including UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, California Governor Jerry Brown, and Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

Last week, FBI special counsel Robert Mueller finally released his long-awaited probe on possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin during the 2016 US presidential campaign. A summary of the report released by US Attorney General William Barr concluded that Trump did not collude with Russia during the election, and said that Mueller has recommended no further indictments. Barr has since promised to release a redacted version of Mueller's 400-page report later this month.