Many cyber experts suspected and alleged that the FSB would use criminal hackers to carry out operations and Vladimir Putin switched course and acknowledged the use of “patriot hackers”. Comparing the hackers to artists he praised their patriotism without consideration of the actions allegedly carried out by Russian hackers. His comments were received to be the first acknowledgment of the use of hackers by the Russian government to attack the United States and other enemies of Russia.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/world/europe/vladimir-putin-donald-trump-hacking.html