MOSCOW, Russia. – Moscow rejected US press accusations about a supposed Russian intelligence unit involved in the case of Sergei Skripal and an attempted coup in Montenegro.

Dmitry Peskov, a Spokesman for the Kremlin, described as fanciful an article in The New York Times concerning an ultra-secret special command of Russian Military Intelligence (GRU) purportedly operating in Europe.

Local politicians have seen this denial by Russia as an attempt to shore up statements by U.S. officials, who blamed GRU for chemically attacking Skripal, a former agent of that body, in the English city of Salisbury.

In addition, the US newspaper speculates the same team would be behind several acts of destabilization of the political situation in several European countries, including the coup attempt in Montenegro.