Russian state-owned media gloated over public revelations in special counsel Robert Mueller's report, which showed the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win.
The Kremlin denied Mueller's findings of "sweeping and systematic" election interference, but Russian media boasted that Vladimir Putin had won after the special counsel did not bring additional charges at the investigation's conclusion, reported The Daily Beast.
Russian media watchdog Julia Davis said the country's state TV hosts gleefully repeated Trump's "no collusion, no obstruction" mantra throughout Mueller's investigation, and they told viewers that economic sanctions would soon be lifted.
"Average Russians are being sold on the idea that Putin’s long-term strategy is bound to pay off," Davis wrote. "According to the Russian state TV, Putin always wins — even when he loses."
Russian media has openly bragged -- sarcastically, they say -- in recent years about propaganda campaigns directed at other countries, including the U.S., and experts say the Kremlin has already aimed online disinformation at American voters ahead of the 2020 elections.
Soon, we will help you elect Trump once again," Evgeny Popov, host of the popular Russian "60 Minutes" program, boasted to Davis. "Just like the last time. Get ready!”