CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unexpected visit to Moscow, Russia, today.

According to flight data and new media reporting Director Ratcliffe flew into Latvia and from Latvia into Russia on a C-17 military transport plane.

VIA CBS – CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow, Russia, for meetings, sources familiar with the situation told CBS News on Tuesday.

News of his trip comes after a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane was spotted at a Moscow airport, along with a U.S. diplomatic motorcade. Neither the U.S. nor Russian governments has commented on the identity of the U.S. official in Russia or the purpose of the visit.

The CIA did not immediately comment.

It appears to be Ratcliffe’s first known trip to Russia as CIA director, though he has maintained contact with Russian intelligence counterparts. (more)

VIA AXIOS – CIA director John Ratcliffe is visiting Moscow on Tuesday for talks with Russian officials, two U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: This is Ratcliffe’s first trip to Moscow since he took office and the highest-level visit by a Trump administration official to Russia since January.

Ahead of Ratcliffe’s trip, the U.S. told Ukraine that a senior delegation was traveling to Moscow and asked it to suspend strikes until it leaves, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. (link)

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As most would anticipate, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the request for a Ukraine election made by former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

Zelenskyy noted that Fedorov himself might challenge the ‘new democracy‘ regime of Zelenskyy, and therefore the risks are too great.

(via Politico) – Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday flatly rejected a call by his former defense chief to send the country to the ballot box.

“I believe that during a war like this, elections in general pose major risks,” Zelenskyy told journalists — including POLITICO — behind closed doors.

A vote “right now would be a tsunami for the state, one that would divide Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president said. He added that his strategy is “to bring the country to the end of the war and preserve an independent and sovereign state.”

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The timing of these events is remarkable. Almost so remarkable that one might think they are intentionally sequenced.

It started yesterday when the very popular former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov issued a striking warning about Ukraine’s government, corruption, and the need to develop an immediate mechanism for elections even while the war against Russia continues.

There is a great deal of support for Mykhailo Fedorov within Ukraine, as many people see him as a stronger and yet more pragmatic representative of the people.  Fedorov holds strongest support from those under 50 years old, and yesterday he diplomatically called for Ukraine to organize elections in order to retain position as a democracy.

VIA CBS – The former defense minister acknowledged the difficulties of holding a vote during the war, including how to ensure soldiers, people who live near the front line and Ukrainians who fled the war can cast their ballots.  “This is complex. … But complexity does not mean impossibility,” Fedorov said. (Citation)

In the background, the frustration of the Ukrainian people is bubbling up to the surface. In part because the hunters the Zelenskyy regime has hired to go find conscripts are now seen as living a life of indulgence.  The conscript hunters who take the men off the streets are earning $150k targeting their own people for forced military service. The people are furious.

Simultaneous to this public statement about elections released by Fedorov, the anti-corruptions agencies in Ukraine announced investigations directly related to Zelenskyy’s government itself.  It looks like Fedorov knew this was coming.

UKRAINE – Ukraine’s ⁠anti-graft agencies ​said on Wednesday ​they had uncovered a group including a presidential official ​that ‌had laundered ⁠150 million hryvnias ($3.35 ‌million) used to pay for bail ⁠in an energy corruption scheme.

Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies launched a ​special operation against lawmakers and presidential advisers on Wednesday, hours before a key vote in parliament for a new defence ​minister ‌aimed at cementing a shake-up by President ⁠Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Approximately six days from now I will share a great deal of information on World War Reddit.  I took the insert picture about a week ago as a Ukraine drone struck a venue 500 meters from my location.  Suffice to say, I’m not reporting information to you based on propaganda media, seriously skewed alt-media or misinterpreted/intercepted Telegram channel discussion; there’s an information war on that platform also.

Almost everything being told, shared and sold about the Russia vs Ukraine conflict is entirely made-up nonsense that has zero basis in reality.  My goal has been to find out why there is this much effort toward twilight-zone level propaganda being pushed by unified interests in western media.  Honestly, it’s beyond crazy.

According to Ukraine/NATO media, and probably soon to be shared by President Trump, “Russia suffered 42,860 battlefield casualties in July, its highest monthly losses since January 2025.”  This type of stuff is so far beyond silly no one can figure out where they come up with the ideas for the rates.

In media headlines you might have read that Ukraine is celebrating the biggest launch of drones against Russia in a single day, Sunday.  The Russian media counter by saying they have shot down 822 drones, with 600 of them targeting the Russian capital of Moscow.

Inside Russia, none of this stuff is happening; however, the govt of Putin finds some sort of purpose/value (personally I think it is just Russian humor) in countering the Ukraine nonsense by accepting the claim and then reiterating it in their claims of interception.

It’s all an illusion.  First, the illusion makes it look like Russia is under bombardment (western happy), and then the Federation flips the script (it is indeed a script) and uses the claim as evidence of their exceptional capabilities at interception of the non-existent.

If you are suddenly cross-eyed, yes, that’s the level of crazy I’m talking about.

(VIA CBS) – Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russia Sunday, killing at least six people in one of Kyiv’s largest aerial attacks of the war.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said that it had destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones overnight. Some 600 drones were detected headed toward the Russian capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, with a third of those destroyed over the Moscow region itself.

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I’ll leave the latest information on the German airport drone until after the outline of today’s events.

A drone exploded in Bulgaria near the Kardam border-crossing with Romania, coming within 1,000 meters of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline’s compressor station. [See Map]

Bulgaria’s defense ministry said the drone carried a ‘significant’ quantity of explosives and was of a type “widely used by the Ukrainian military.”  However, Ukraine has denied [::cough::] “intentionally” [::cough::] striking Bulgaria with one of their drones.

Yahoo: Ukraine on Saturday denied targeting Bulgaria after a drone exploded close to the strategic Trans-Balkan gas pipeline linking Turkey to Ukraine near the Romanian border.

Bulgaria’s defence ministry said the drone was of a type “widely used by the Ukrainian military”, and the foreign minister summoned the Ukrainian ambassador for a meeting on Monday in response, her office told AFP.

Kyiv said it was “in close contact with the Bulgarian side to clarify the circumstances” of the incident, the latest case of a drone straying into NATO airspace as Ukraine fights off Russia’s invasion.

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The article itself is weak sauce in the extreme, “according to new U.S. intelligence reports that posit possible scenarios” blah, blah, blah…  You know the routine.

However, that said, there is a general alignment of intent that tracks this narrative as expressed by the Wall Street Journal.

CTH doesn’t try to convince anyone. Convincing is an endless quest. However, if you just look at the datapoints that have surfaced since June 11th, there is a greater likelihood of some kind of western kinetic activity that can be carried out in order to stimulate more opposition to Russia.  Some form of false flag operation.

That approach would track with what we have witnessed in the past two months as Ukraine makes public claims in media that are expressly opposite of the action they are taking.  CTH has been pointing this out along the way.  It is prudent to notice things, particularly when those things can be consequential to the interests of EU-controllled intelligence.

WASHINGTON—Russian President Vladimir Putin could try to test NATO’s resolve with a limited assault on an allied country in the next few years, according to new U.S. intelligence reports that posit possible scenarios ranging from a cyberattack to a small-scale land incursion.

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If we cut to the chase, the greatest likelihood is the same intelligence unit responsible for the Nordstream pipeline bombing are the same intelligence unit responsible for the Leipzig Airport drones.  That would be Ukraine.

It appears the German government has learned its lesson from initially blaming Russia for Nordstream, as they now use the generic term “state actor” when describing the likely source.

BERLIN — German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has suggested a state actor was behind the explosive-laden drone that was found at Leipzig airport.

“We can’t rule out the possibility that foreign powers are behind this,” Dobrindt told public broadcaster ZDF Wednesday evening. “That will now be part of the investigation, but there are many indications pointing in that direction,” he said.

Dobrindt stopped short of naming Russia specifically in his statements but said that “a hybrid threat is evident” and that such threats do not originate from amateurs but are “often linked to foreign powers.”

[…] Leipzig Airport serves as a strategic hub for NATO, including for military transports to Ukraine. The airport is also international courier service DHL’s largest European air hub and serves as a temporary home for some Ukrainian Antonov aircraft, protecting them from Russian attacks. The armed drone was found just meters away from such a plane, said officials Wednesday. (read more)

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I’m just making a note on this story because it seems to align with other events in the ongoing Ukraine vs Russia narrative assembly, recently discussed.

The initial story, usually the most accurate {source}, stated that at an area within the Leipzig/Halle Airport complex in Germany, a small tour group noticed a drone flying low to the ground in/around the area where cargo planes are located.  Leipzig is used by NATO as a cargo airport to deliver weapons.

The driver of the bus got out, pushed the drone to the ground and called airport authorities to notify them.  The drone was located near the area where two Ukrainian Antonov aircraft were located.  The airport houses two Ukraine Antonov aircraft not being used, and three Russian Antonov’s’ grounded and stored since EU sanctions.

The drone was a quadcopter type, with limited distance capabilities. Inspection of the drone revealed it carried 800 grams of explosive material and a faulty detonator. The drone was taken into custody by airport authorities.

As the initial report was made the airport triggered standard security practices rerouting cargo planes.  A rerouted DHL cargo carrier then encountered another drone about 400 meters in altitude, which hit the nose of the plane.  The plane diverted to Hannover and landed without issue.

This quadcopter drone at Leipzig Airport happens on the same day that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused Russia of attacking a street vendor in Kherson, Ukraine, with an almost identical drone.

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The Security Assistance Group (SAG) is a unit of NATO command operated in Germany that specifically focuses on the military training and development in support of Ukraine.  The U.S. is transitioning out of SAG leadership and handing the responsibility to Europe or Canada.

EUROPE – Another NATO member will eventually take over running the Security Assistance Group, according to a U.S official and three people familiar with the plan, which has played a central role in equipping and training Ukrainian troops since the full-scale Russian invasion began. But the removal of U.S. leadership from a pivotal program on the continent reinforces the extent to which America is distancing itself from European partners.

The move will mean the U.S. no longer helps shape what Ukraine’s future military will look like. It follows a swath of changes the Trump administration has made to the decades-old alliance. The Pentagon has reduced the number of American officers running commands in Europe and canceled some rotations. Officials are reassessing troops stationed on the continent and warning countries they won’t receive assistance unless their defense spending increases.

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CTH is very happy to see President Trump pause his consideration of giving Ukraine Patriot and Tomahawk missile system technology and licenses.  As noted by President Trump there is always a possibility of those systems being used against the USA if the conflict shifts and Ukraine becomes our enemy.

Germany and Ukraine have been asking for Tomahawks (offensive missile systems), while mostly Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been requesting the Patriot (defensive) missiles.  Both systems are closely guarded, held and maintained by strict security protocols in the U.S. military arsenal.

President Trump responded to the question during his Camp David cabinet meeting (prompted):

Zelenskyy likely did himself no favors when he announced his intention to build missile and drone factories in the U.K.  No doubt several Trump administration officials noted that statement and contrast it against Zelenskyy’s requests.

It would be exceptionally risky for the USA to allow Patriot and Tomahawk systems to be built in the U.K. as the secrecy behind the technology would certainly leak and our strategic advantage lost.  It should be remembered that both the U.K and Ukraine were part of the political system attempting to remove President Trump from office.

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