Kremlin: Moscow Has Nothing to Do With Facebook Ads During 2016 US Elex

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is not aware of and has nothing to do with alleged Russian "bots" buying ads on Facebook during the US election campaign, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"We have never heard about this and know nothing about this. Moreover, we have nothing to do with it, with these affairs. We should not be associated with this story regarding Facebook," Peskov told reporters.

Alex Stamos, Facebook’s Chief Security Officer, claimed on Wednesday that the company found some 3,000 ads worth $100,000 from June 2015 to May 2017 linked to inauthentic pages or "bots." According to the Facebook official, most of the ads did not refer to the US presidential election, but focused on amplifying divisive social and political messages.

While, according to Stamos, these pages were considered to be "likely operated" out of Russia, his report did not cite any concrete ties to Moscow.

The statement comes amid two separate probes into alleged ties between President Donald Trump's election team and Russia conducted by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller and US Congress. Trump has repeatedly denied having any ties with the Kremlin during the US presidential race, calling them a "witch hunt."

Moscow has also refuted the "absurd claims" and said they are aimed to divert US public attention from pressing domestic issues.