World News
CIA director holds talks in Moscow as Ukrainian drone strikes resume following brief pause
John Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials in an unannounced visit, after which Ukraine launched widespread overnight drone attacks across Russia.
The short version
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe held unannounced talks with Russian intelligence counterparts in Moscow on Tuesday, marking a rare high-level U.S. visit.
- U.S. officials requested that Ukraine temporarily halt strikes on Moscow and surrounding northern regions during Ratcliffe's visit.
- Ukrainian drone attacks resumed hours after Ratcliffe's departure, with Russia claiming to intercept 426 drones across 15 regions overnight.
- Major strikes hit a Wildberries e-commerce logistics center in Tambov and an industrial facility in Nizhny Novgorod, causing casualties in several regions.
Key facts
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials in Moscow on Tuesday but did not meet President Vladimir Putin.[BBC News · Associated Press · Al Jazeera]
- A senior Ukrainian official confirmed Washington requested a temporary pause on strikes against Moscow, St. Petersburg, and northern Russian regions during the U.S. delegation's trip.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow and other Russian regions resumed overnight following Ratcliffe's departure, with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reporting at least 10 drones shot down near the capital.[ABC News]
- The Russian Defense Ministry reported shooting down 426 Ukrainian drones overnight across 15 regions and occupied Crimea.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Overnight drone strikes completely destroyed a major Wildberries e-commerce warehouse in the Tambov region and damaged an industrial facility in Nizhny Novgorod.[ABC News · Al Jazeera · Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- The specific topics discussed during Ratcliffe's meetings with Russian intelligence officials have not been publicly disclosed by U.S. or Russian officials.[BBC News · Associated Press]
Sources
- Kremlin says CIA head met Russian intelligence officials, but not PutinAl Jazeera
- The Kremlin says the CIA director held talks in Moscow with his intelligence counterpartsAssociated Press
- CIA chief met Russian intelligence services but not Putin, Kremlin saysBBC News - Top Stories
- Moscow confirms visit of CIA Director John RatcliffeDeutsche Welle
- Kremlin says CIA chief met Russian counterparts, not Putin, in MoscowFrance 24
- A Wildberries depot in Russia is hit again and destroyed as Ukraine extends its drone campaignAssociated Press
- Ukrainian drone attacks kill 3 as fire destroys Wildberries warehouseAl Jazeera
- Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow resume hours after CIA director's visit, mayor saysABC News - Top Stories
- Kremlin denies planned talks with US envoys amid reports CIA head in RussiaAl Jazeera
- CIA director in Moscow for meetings — US media reportsDeutsche Welle
- CIA chief in Moscow for unannounced talks, US media reportsBBC News - World
- CIA director John Ratcliffe reportedly on Moscow visitThe Guardian - US
- CIA director Ratcliffe visits Moscow, US media reportsFrance 24
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe on secret trip in RussiaCBS News - World
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow for meetings, sources sayABC News - Top Stories