Kremlin dismisses Western claims that Epstein was Russian intelligence asset

MOSCOW, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Thursday it did not want to waste time answering questions about unproven suggestions in Western media and by Poland's premier that late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may have been some sort of Russian intelligence asset.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Warsaw would launch an investigation into what it said were possible links between Epstein and Russia's intelligence services, and into any potential impact on Poland.

Tusk gave no evidence for his assertions, though Western media have questioned over recent days whether or not Epstein was a Russian agent collecting compromising material about the rich and powerful.

Asked by Reuters about Tusk's remarks and about Western media reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "I would like to joke about such versions, but let's not waste our time."

Russian officials say that claims of a link between Epstein and Russian intelligence are clearly being thrust into the public sphere to distract from a scandal they say has laid bare the hypocrisy of powerful men across the U.S. and Europe.

In the files on Epstein released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Russia is mentioned thousands of times.

They also indicate that some of the young women Epstein was in contact with were from Russia, including a 26-year-old woman he sought to introduce to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain's King Charles.

Various media organisations and bloggers have also speculated that Epstein was spying for Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence service or the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

No definitive proof has yet been published by a major news organisation that he was working for any intelligence service.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; writing by Guy Faulconbridge;editing by Mark Heinrich)