The Kremlin has played down US media reports that a CIA spy was planted in Russia's presidential administration, before he was extracted in 2017 over concern US President Donald Trump had disclosed intelligence to Russian officials.

Key points: The spy reportedly worked in Russia for decades before he was brought back to the US in 2017

The spy reportedly worked in Russia for decades before he was brought back to the US in 2017 Russian media named Oleg Smolenkov as the spy, saying he now lives in Virginia, US

Russian media named Oleg Smolenkov as the spy, saying he now lives in Virginia, US Russia rejected claims Donald Trump discussed any sensitive intelligence with officials

CNN reported on Monday that the United States had successfully extracted one of its highest-level covert sources inside Russia in 2017. The New York Times later reported that the informant had sent secrets to Washington for decades.

A source familiar with US monitoring of Russian activities confirmed that such a CIA informant inside the Russian government did exist and that the informant had been extracted and brought to the United States.

The source indicated that US officials were seriously concerned that Kremlin officials had made public what they claimed was the individual's name.

Russian daily newspaper Kommersant published on Tuesday the official may have been a man called Oleg Smolenkov, who is reported to have disappeared with his wife and three children while on holiday in Montenegro in 2017 and is now reported to be living in the US.

Kommersant published a picture of a house in Virginia which it said had been bought by a man named Smolenkov in 2018.

Asked about the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Mr Smolenkov had in fact worked in the Russian presidential administration but had been fired in 2016 or 2017.

Media speculation 'pulp fiction'

"It is true that Smolenkov worked in the presidential administration, but he was fired several years ago. His job was not at a senior official level," he said.

Mr Smolenkov did not have direct access to President Vladimir Putin, Mr Preskov added, declining to confirm whether he had been a US agent or not.

"I can't confirm that ... I don't know whether he was an agent. I can only confirm that there was such a person in the presidential administration, who was later sacked.

"All this US media speculation about who urgently extracted who and saved who from who and so on - this is more the genre of pulp fiction, crime reading," Mr Peskov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday he had never heard of Mr Smolenkov.

"I have never seen this man, have never met him, and have never monitored his career or movements," Mr Lavrov said.

CNN reported on Monday that the US's decision to extract its informant had occurred soon after a May 2017 meeting in the Oval Office in which US President Donald Trump had discussed highly classified intelligence with Mr Lavrov.

But Mr Lavrov rejected any suggestions that Mr Trump divulged any secrets to him at the meeting.

A US government source also insisted that Mr Trump did not disclose secrets, such as the informant's existence or identity, at any meeting with Russian officials.

Reuters