The Kremlin has said that a number of journalists are preparing an ‘information attack’ on President Vladimir Putin, the RBC news website reported Monday.
“Another hoax [article], pretending to be objective is due to be released in the coming days. We received some very friendly requests [for information], but they seemed to form part of an interrogation,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by RBC as saying.
The request was filed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ), a global network of 185 reporters specializing in investigations, according to Peskov.
The presidential spokesman said the journalists were interested mostly in Putin's personal information.
The questions involved information about the president's family, his childhood friends, ?€?businessmen Kovalchuk and Rotenberg, some offshore companies, entrepreneurs that Putin has never met,?€? Peskov said.
The Kremlin's spokesman said that the upcoming material has already been paid for and added that these questions have been answered ?€?hundreds of times.?€?
Peskov said that an article about Putin is also being prepared by one ?€?rather well-known international news agency.?€? The agency's journalists are interested in Putin's wealth and business connections, according to Peskov.
Peskov said that the Kremlin will not respond to the journalists' questions.
?€?Denying something numerous times or commenting on something that has no relation to us is just silly,?€? Putin's spokesman was quoted as saying by RBC.