Footage: CIA Chief in a High-Level Backchannel Visit to Moscow Alongside Vatican Officials
The CIA personnel in Moscow alongside Vatican officials is raising concerns.
What’s brewing behind the scenes? Something significant may be unfolding as CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare, unannounced visit to Moscow on August 25, 2026, meeting with Russian intelligence counterparts at Vnukovo Airport. The secretive trip—which bypassed a meeting with Vladimir Putin—prompted Washington to ask Ukraine for a brief localized halt on regional drone strikes
CIA Director John Ratcliffe of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) travelled to Moscow for unannounced talks, the BBC's US news partner CBS has reported.
He made a rare, unannounced visit to Moscow on August 25, 2026, meeting with Russian intelligence counterparts at Vnukovo Airport.
Neither Washington or Moscow have confirmed the nature of the visit or who he was due to meet.
According to a report, the secretive trip—which bypassed a meeting with Vladimir Putin—prompted Washington to ask Ukraine for a brief localized halt on regional drone strikes.
A U.S. military aircraft transported the CIA delegation to Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Tuesday, August 25, before departing later that day.
Ratcliffe held discussions with Russian security and intelligence officials, marking a rare high-level physical presence of a U.S. spy chief in the Russian capital.
U.S. officials requested that Ukraine temporarily suspend air strikes targeting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and select northern zones while the delegation was in transit.
Flight tracking data confirmed a large US military aircraft travelled to Russia from the US via Latvia on Tuesday. It departed later on Tuesday.
Footage posted on social media showed the C-17 transport plane approaching Moscow's Vnukovo international airport.
It departed Riga airport at 05:50 GMT and appeared to have landed in the Russian capital at around 07:04 GMT, according to data from FlightRadar24. It returned to Riga shortly before 17:00 GMT.
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| CIA Director John Ratcliffe |
The CIA personnel in Moscow alongside Vatican officials is raising concerns.
What’s brewing behind the scenes? Something significant may be unfolding as CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare, unannounced visit to Moscow on August 25, 2026, meeting with Russian intelligence counterparts at Vnukovo Airport. The secretive trip—which bypassed a meeting with Vladimir Putin—prompted Washington to ask Ukraine for a brief localized halt on regional drone strikes
CIA Director John Ratcliffe of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) travelled to Moscow for unannounced talks, the BBC's US news partner CBS has reported.
He made a rare, unannounced visit to Moscow on August 25, 2026, meeting with Russian intelligence counterparts at Vnukovo Airport.
Neither Washington or Moscow have confirmed the nature of the visit or who he was due to meet.
According to a report, the secretive trip—which bypassed a meeting with Vladimir Putin—prompted Washington to ask Ukraine for a brief localized halt on regional drone strikes.
A U.S. military aircraft transported the CIA delegation to Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Tuesday, August 25, before departing later that day.
Ratcliffe held discussions with Russian security and intelligence officials, marking a rare high-level physical presence of a U.S. spy chief in the Russian capital.
U.S. officials requested that Ukraine temporarily suspend air strikes targeting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and select northern zones while the delegation was in transit.
Flight tracking data confirmed a large US military aircraft travelled to Russia from the US via Latvia on Tuesday. It departed later on Tuesday.
Footage posted on social media showed the C-17 transport plane approaching Moscow's Vnukovo international airport.
It departed Riga airport at 05:50 GMT and appeared to have landed in the Russian capital at around 07:04 GMT, according to data from FlightRadar24. It returned to Riga shortly before 17:00 GMT.
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| CIA Director John Ratcliffe |
