Editor-in-Chief Simonyan Mocks CIA Director's 'Compliments' to Sputnik, RT

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Pompeo said that Russia managed to increase effectiveness of its external influence due to its soft power instruments, including news outlets like RT and Sputnik. He added that it was a part of the alleged Russian doctrine seeking to "win wars without firing a single shot."

"The head of CIA complimented us for saving money of the Russian state. I'm serious," Simonyan said on Twitter.

This was not the first time the CIA focuses its attention on Russian media outlets. In May, CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak told RT the involvement of Russian intelligence services in alleged hacking related to the US election was an "established fact," which media outlets like RT would "attempt to muddle." RT and Sputnik Editor-In-Chief Margarita Simonyan said that the claim lacks evidence and "no reputable news organization trusts the CIA. Now that is correct."

Russian media outlets broadcasting in Europe and the United States have been facing a barrage of accusations by Western officials about allegedly spreading fake news and attempting to influence public life.

In January, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Security Agency (NSA) released a report accusing Russia of meddling in last year's US presidential election. The report did not provide any proof, citing confidentiality protocols, while its significant part was focused on RT and Sputnik. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other senior officials have repeatedly stated that Moscow refrains from meddling in internal affairs of foreign countries.

In November 2016, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution, which said that Sputnik and RT posed a danger to Europe's unity and called for extra European Commission funding for counter-propaganda projects. It also drew a parallel between the Russian media and the propaganda disseminated by Daesh, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and numerous other states.