Ukrainian hackers leaked another cache of emails from former presidential aide Vladislav Surkov on Thursday, according to media reports. Like the first leak from last week, the new cache of messages from November 2014 to September 2016 contains revelations about the Kremlin's ties to armed separatists in Ukraine's Donbass region.
Most of the reports found in this second leaked inbox are related to Ukraine, and specifically, its parliamentary body, the Verkhovna Rada. While the emails don't contain any major revelations, they do illustrate how Surkov was involved in managing the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and various pro-Russian activities in Ukraine.
In one correspondence, Surkov and a Russian Duma deputy discuss the topic of fomenting unrest in the industrial city of Kharkov. Suggestions include forming pro-Russian organizations, organizing anti-government demonstrations, and warning Kharkov residents that the Kiev government and the Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) extremist group plan to attack their city.
In another email on the topic of weapons to be withdrawn from the front line in accordance with the Minsk Agreements, the TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system is mentioned. This weapon is manufactured exclusively in Russia and was never exported to Ukraine.
The email inboxes were operated by two of Surkov's assistants, named Maria and Yevgenia. Although Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the emails, claiming that Surkov does not use email, experts vouch for the authenticity of the messages based on header data and details within the messages themselves.
