US intelligence officials acquired the documents, which were prepared by the Moscow-based Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, after the election. The current and former US officials spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the Russian documents’ classified status. Putin’s spokesman and the Russian institute did not respond to requests for comment. The report said Russia Today and Sputnik “consistently cast president elect-Trump as the target of unfair coverage from traditional media outlets." Both Russia Today and Sputnik heavily promoted the release of the hacked Democratic Party emails, which often contained embarrassing details.

Source: The Star April 19, 2017 20:26 UTC