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The Kremlin has pushed back on claims made by Poland that Jeffrey Epstein may have been a Russian intelligence asset.

Getting into it: Earlier this week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland would establish a special team to investigate potential links between Epstein and Russian intelligence services, arguing that the scandal could pose a direct threat to Poland’s state security. “More and more leads, more and more information, and more and more commentary in the global press all relate to the suspicion that this unprecedented paedophilia scandal was co-organised by Russian intelligence services,” Tusk said. He warned that if true, such an operation would mean Russia possessed “compromising materials against many leaders still active today.”

Polish officials have pointed to the scale and content of the newly released Epstein files as a basis for concern, noting frequent references to Russia and senior Russian figures. According to Tusk, more than 1,000 documents mention Vladimir Putin, with thousands more references to Moscow, alongside emails discussing possible meetings with Russian officials and travel to Russia. While no proof has emerged that Epstein met Putin in person, Polish authorities say the pattern of contacts, correspondence, and repeated mentions warrants further scrutiny. Tusk said the investigation would examine whether Epstein was tasked with gathering compromising material, commonly known as kompromat, on influential figures as part of a broader intelligence operation.

The probe will be led by Poland’s justice minister and officials responsible for the secret services, who will review millions of pages of documents, videos, and photographs released by the US Justice Department. Tusk has also said the inquiry will look into possible Polish victims and any domestic impact, citing references to individuals in Krakow who allegedly offered Epstein access to “women or girls.”

In response, the Kremlin has rejected Poland’s claims. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the allegations as unserious, saying, “The theory that Epstein was controlled by Russian intelligence services can be taken in any way, but not seriously.” In a separate remark, Peskov added that he might “like to joke about such versions,” but said they were not worth serious discussion.