On September 2, 2015, according to researchers Martin Kragh and Sebastian Asberg writing for the Journal of Strategic Studies, Russian state actors created a forged letter from Tora Holst, head of the International Public Prosecution Office in Stockholm, addressed to the head of Ukraine’s Department of National Security and Defense Affairs, Oleksiy Pokotylo and uploaded it to CNN’s Istory webpage. The letter communicated Holst’s alleged willingness to overlook purported Ukrainian war crimes in the interest of preserving Ukraine’s international reputation as a democratic state. The forgery was later broadcasted by Russian state-sponsored media outlets and pro-Russian channels.