Marine Le Pen | Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images Marine Le Pen denies cash-for-support deal with Russia News site says text messages show close ties between Kremlin and National Front leader.

PARIS — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen may have received funding from Russian-backed banks as thanks for supporting Russia's annexation of Crimea, French investigative news site Mediapart reported Tuesday, citing text messages exchanged between two Russian officials.

In the messages, which Mediapart said it had obtained thanks to a hacking group called "Anonymous International," Kremlin official Timur Prokopenko mentioned Le Pen dozens of times in exchanges with a person identified as Kostia. Anonymous International identified Kostia as Konstantin Rykov, a former pro-Putin MP who has a house in France and is known to have met with Le Pen.

A few days before Crimea was due to hold a referendum on Russia's annexation, in March 2014, Prokopenko wrote to Kostia asking to bring Le Pen to Crimea as an "observer" during the referendum. "We really need it. I told my boss you were in contact with her???"

"Yes I will try to find out tomorrow," answered Kostia.

Text messages then showed the two men in discussion about "funds," saying that Le Pen was discussing the issue with National Front Vice President Florian Philippot, and that a member of the Russian foreign ministry would be in touch with Le Pen's team.

In subsequent exchanges, Kostia told Prokopenko that Le Pen would not visit Crimea herself, but she would take an official stand on the subject. The National Front chief did just that on March 17, 2014, calling the referendum's result "indisputable."

A day earlier, Le Pen's then-diplomatic adviser, Aymeric Chauprade (he has since left the National Front), traveled to Crimea as an "observer" for the referendum. He told media at the time that he had gone as a "geopolitical specialist" but also as Le Pen's "special adviser."

An aide to Chauprade told POLITICO that he had received no financial compensation for his trip to Crimea. The Front subsequently denied it had sent an official to Crimea in any "official" capacity.

On March 17, 2014 text messages showed Prokopenko writing: "Marine Le Pen officially recognized the results of the referendum in Crimea!"

"She did not betray our expectations ;)," replied Kostia.

"We will need to thank the French in some way. It's important," wrote Prokopenko.

On April 12, Le Pen traveled to Russia to meet the head of parliament, Serguei Narychkine, a Putin ally. A few days later, the National Front's financial branch, Cotelec, received a payment of €2 million from a Cypriot company financed by Russian money. In September 2014, the party obtained a second loan of €9 million from the First Czech Russian Bank, which is Russian-backed.

On Tuesday, Le Pen denied that she had received the loan as a quid pro quo for her support of Russia's annexation. "Because we got a loan, this is supposed to determine our international position? We have been on this [pro-Russia] position for a long time," she was reported as saying by Le Monde.

Party treasurer Wallerand de Saint-Just told Mediapart he was "not aware" of what happened "prior to the signature" approving the loans.

"I have nothing to do with the international positions of Marine Le Pen. I only met with bank technicians," he added.

Rykov did not respond to requests for comment from Mediapart.