14 DAY TRIAL // A group of hackers that goes by the name of CyberHunta has leaked 2,337 emails, which they claim came from the email account of Vladislav Surkov, advisor to President Vladimir Putin.
The hackers said that while most of the data is generic reports and media statements, some emails show correspondence between Surkov and Denis Pushilin, separatist leader of the People's Soviet of the Donetsk People's Republic.
An analysis of the emails by the Associated Press' Russian-speaking journalists revealed that some of the correspondence between the two included reports of casualties, operational costs, and a list of ministers in the separatist government, sent before it was made public.
Russian officials deny email leak, say Surkov didn't use email
Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's official spokesperson, denied the leak, saying that Surkov does not use email.
Some people who had emailed Surkov's office confirmed the authenticity of the emails, such as Russian journalist Svetlana Babaeva, Russian businessman Evgeny Chichivarkin, and Aric Toler, analyst for the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, per AP.
While the Ukraine National Security Service said the emails were authentic, they also warned that the hackers might have tampered with their content, and should not be taken at face value.
Besides the emails, CyberHunta also released PDF files showing plans to destabilize Ukraine following Crimea's annexation. The hackers also leaked passport scans for Surkov, his wife, and their children. Documents and emails included in the leaked data go as far back as 2014.
CyberHunta is the Ukraine's Guccifer 2.0, promises more leaks
CyberHunta is a newly formed hacking group that describes itself as a "Ukrainian community of hackers and analysts who oppose foreign aggression and fight internal enemies."
The group also promised to "continue to extract and analyze email and correspondence 'iconic' figures in Russia."