Western media are reporting that CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow, Russia, to warn his Russian counterpart Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), about striking back against Baltic states. {CITATION} However, that’s only half of the story.
Director Ratcliffe wasn’t simply telling Naryshkin not to hit back; he was telling Naryshkin that European NATO provocations against the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad (between Poland and Lithuania) were not ‘fully’ sanctioned by the United States. {CITATION Aug 18}
EU NATO members have been conducting provocative military operations and psychological warfare via NATO exercises all around Kaliningrad. They have been getting more aggressive with each series of maneuvers. The Trump administration (DoW) recently removed the head of U.S-NATO operations over this background strategy. What the western media will not tell us is that Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commander of the Army’s V Corps, was removed from command over this planned operation {citation Aug 7}.
Apparently, European NATO is increasingly trying to provoke expanded conflict with Russia, while President Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe attempt to tamp down the problems being created. This is all connected to the expanded drone activity recently reported in media (Germany – Leipzig airport and Romania citations}, which looks increasingly like covert Ukraine intelligence operations. There are some reports that western intelligence linked Russia to the Leipzig airport drone, so perhaps Director Ratcliffe also carried that intelligence message.
The bottom line is there’s a lot of sketchy ‘fog of war’ stuff happening, and U.S. intelligence has a responsibility to the Trump administration to try and contain any significant issues involving escalation. Hence, Ratcliffe’s message saying we are not trying to provoke you, so don’t put us in a situation where we end up defending NATO because you retaliate against all of this activity happening outside Ukraine’s borders.
Ukraine intelligence operations blew up the Nordstream pipeline {CITATION}, then dumped it in the lap of Joe Biden and walked away. That hot mess ended up with weeks of the U.S. having to fabricate some alternative narrative that Russia bombed their own pipeline. Ukraine intelligence services also carried out the bombing in Monaco {CITATION} then killed the Ukraine Intelligence asset to cover their tracks. Ukraine intelligence also carried out the bombing in central Moscow {CITATION – Balzi Rossi}.
So, who or what is essentially Ukraine Intelligence?
That’s likely British intelligence (MI6), who have been conducting these covert operations using Ukrainian figures. The same British intelligence that has now sanctioned Storm Shadow missiles for Ukraine to build {CITATION}. Again, more provocation and more urgent need for U.S. officials to try and avoid expanded conflict. Who is the MI6 partner agency, that’s the CIA; that’s where Director John Ratcliffe comes in.
All of this is very alarming to say the least. Europe is essentially doing everything they can to provoke Russia into a retaliatory posture, while the USA is telling Russia not to retaliate. This is how wars get expanded. However, Russia doesn’t pretend not to know things.
Simultaneous to this, Ratcliffe likely also discussed Iran and Syria from an intelligence and strategic U.S. policy position.
The day before Ratcliffe flew to Moscow, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained that President Trump had launched several emissary missions around “Operation Economic Outcast”{CITATION}, obviously talks with Russia about the vulnerabilities of sanctioning targeting were a part of that strategic conversation.
In the hours after Ratcliffe departed Moscow, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced: “Today, I authorized the formal rescission of Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST), following the conclusion of the mandatory 45-day Congressional notification period. I have also delisted Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). These actions represent another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a path to prosperity.” {CITATION} Russia is a stakeholder in the outcome within Syria.
Yes, John Ratcliffe outlined how Russia should not attack NATO allies; how the U.S. would appreciate support in staying out of Iran, and how President Trump is trying to resolve overall Mideast peace vis-a-vis Syria and beyond.
That’s a more fulsome outline of the key areas of message relayed by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to SVR Head Sergey Naryshkin.
Or put another way, what President Trump calls “semi-routine,” but he acknowledged it was about bringing the war to a close. “I hate to disappoint people. We would like to see the war with Ukraine end,” he said. {CITATION}
Semi-related: Within the Ukraine friction points CTH has previously noted we should pay close attention to both Moldova and Romania. We should now add Finland to that list. I am told that Finland is currently on alert for covert Ukraine “intelligence” operations using Finland as a launch region for increased drone attacks toward the St Petersburg region.
Saint Petersburg, Russia, is the fourth-most populous city in Europe, the most populous city on the Baltic Sea, and the world’s northernmost city of more than 1 million residents. As the former capital of the Russian Empire, and a historically strategic Baltic port, it is governed as a federal city. Russian President Vladimir Putin is from there.
NATO is now on its third day of massive air operations over Kaliningrad — and as if that weren’t enough, they’ve pulled the whole package northward and even down over Moldova.
It’s starting to look like someone testing every button on a mixer just to see what happens.What’s…
— Jarl Finland (@jalle51) August 20, 2026
No joke; the President of Finland believes that the path to resolving the Ukrainian conflict lies through the Western destruction of Wildberries pickup points…🤡
"And I think today we are in a much better position than before. I believe there are three things we need to do to… pic.twitter.com/21P3o3d82T
— Mats Nilsson (@mazzenilsson) August 24, 2026
🟥 Finland is directly integrating Ukrainian battlefield data into its defense industrial base, with President Alexander Stubb emphasizing that Kyiv possesses unprecedented expertise in modern high-intensity warfare.
Speaking on the strategic value of frontline data, Stubb noted… pic.twitter.com/sE6MkRZBkA
— NSTRIKE (@NSTRIKE1231) August 27, 2026
❗️This morning, a Swedish reconnaissance aircraft, the S102B Korpen GIV-SP, was conducting surveillance over the Murmansk region and the entire border between Finland and Russia. pic.twitter.com/KFMimYg47E
— Military Summary (@MilitarySummary) August 26, 2026



It seems that former President Obama has been quite busy lately; first he is photographed going into 10 Downing Street in London, next thing we see him photographed meeting with Canadian government officials and each time we see Obama meeting with foreign government officials shortly thereafter some new roadblock to peace (between Russia – Ukraine) and trade (Canada) suddenly erupts.
When is someone in this Administration going to lawfare Obama and bring up the Logan Act issue like the lawfare crew did to Gen Flynn before Trump-45 had even been in office one month?
President Trump needs to tell this to the people. Former Presidents have retired graciously and for the most part stayed out of the spotlight. 0bama’s actions need to be brought up and the people need to understand that it’s wrong to meddle in the current administration’s affairs.
Exactly. We have never had a former President act this way. Some of them did not much like their successor and did not exactly wish them well, but until Obama we have never had one work so hard to intentionally undermine a successor. He should be investigated and prosecuted. Not sure how far that would go, since his “wingman” Holder stacked DOJ so full with leftist lawfare types, but it should be pursued.
The Uniparty has his back and they are hard at work attempting to form the One World Government. They have us flanked on our North with these flippin “hosers” i.e. Canadians. The Chinese have perfected Surveillance of their citizenry and have a big seat at the one world government table.
We’re in a hard core war right now. We need these midterm results to be bigtime in our favor and the next 8 years of conservative rule to have a chance at thwarting this British Globalist Beast.
They are boiling the frog right now and they’re turning up the temperature.
God help us all. If our side fails, life will be miserable for those they allow to live.
Does Trump have full control over the CIA? That seems unlikely, seeing as how he does not have full control over the DOJ or FBI.
Was An Obama Energy Secretary A CCP Plant?
NEVER BEFORE REPORTED: Obama Energy Secretary Steven Chu was listed as an “Overseas Honorary President” of a CCP United Front group used to cultivate and mobilize elite overseas scientists.
Natalie Winters Aug 26, 2026
https://nataliegwinters.substack.com/p/was-an-obama-energy-secretary-a-ccp
“Before Steven Chu oversaw America’s national laboratories and nuclear-weapons complex, a group inside what U.S. officials describe as the CCP’s “political warfare” apparatus listed him as an “overseas honorary president.” He later launched landmark research and technology partnerships with Beijing from inside the Department of Energy.
…”
In the winter I watched a couple of Tucker Carlson interviews, one of which was with a Russian who warned that London and Berlin were legitimate targets if NATO kept attacking Russia. With the Russian hypersonic missile, already used in Ukraine, things could get ugly quickly.
save a few splodies for the command and control centers and elite owned underground survival bunkers in geneeva and davvos
“This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.” – Admiral Josh Painter (Fred Thompson), “The Hunt for Red October.”
What else does PDJT47 have to do to signal to the EU/NATO that the U.S. isn’t going to blindly answer the call if they provoke a strike by the Russians? They can’t instigate the fight and then claim self defense when they get punched in the nose.
>> Within the Ukraine friction points CTH has previously noted we should pay close attention to both Moldova and Romania.
? Pay attention concerning what? Overt/covert actions against Russia? Surely, not against Ukraine. I am not sure about Romania, but Moldova’s military posture is probably less that Monaco’s, i.e., simply not plausible.