Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Russian scientists have discovered possible traces of a cosmic catastrophe related to a meteorite impact in Lake Onega. This was reported on August 25 on the website of the A. I. Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (RSPU).
"Researchers from the A. I. Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia have discovered new evidence supporting the hypothesis that a large celestial body impacted Earth approximately 12,800 years ago. A mysterious 'pink horizon' in the bottom sediments of Lake Onega has become a marker of this ancient catastrophe," the publication states.
Dmitry Subetto, Dean of the Geography Department at Herzen University, noted that within the glacial-lacustrine clays, specialists discovered a high concentration of microscopic iron oxide particles in a layer with a sharp color change, dubbed the "pink horizon." The particles range in size from tens to hundreds of micrometers. The presence of this layer, with a clear boundary throughout the lake, may indicate an external influx of matter, such as cosmic dust.
The discovery strengthens the theory that a meteorite impact occurred approximately 12,900–12,800 years ago. This event could have caused a sharp cooling event that lasted for approximately a thousand years.
In March, a small meteorite presumably disintegrated in the atmosphere over Russia's Black Sea coast. The bright bolide was observed by residents of Novorossiysk, Anapa, Rostov-on-Don, and Krasnodar. Scientists estimate the meteorite was several dozen centimeters in size.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.48 CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Russia, after which the American side collected intelligence about the early preparations of the Russian Federation before mobilization and a possible conflict with NATO. About this write The Wall Street Journal. Analysts hope that Ratcliffe may ally with the ruler of the Russian Federation in order to determine advances. Following up on this report from yesterday, thank goodness. We wondered what that was about.
22.32 The head of diplomacy for the Vatican, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, having voiced the urgent need to initiate a war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
According to the words of the hierarch, the ongoing ongoing struggle causes new victims and significantly complicates the future reconciliation.
“There is a real need to put an end to the conflict and look beyond the boundaries,” said Gallagher, speaking instructing the Lavrovs at a big press conference after their rivals.
The parties discussed possible ways to reach the world and agreed on progress in the humanitarian sphere, to help children who suffered as a result of military operations.
22.18 The leader of the Russian ruler Volodymyr Putin came up with another reason for the start of a full-scale war - Ukraine was probably “planning to invade Russia on the 8th of February 2022”, so Moscow was in the first place and the misfortunes would come first.
The Deputy Secretary of the Organizing Committee of the Similar Economic Forum, Anton Kobyakov, stated that the Russian military is still at the beginning of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, and one of the brigades has been found in the abandoned headquarters territorial defense of the ZSU "documents indicating that Kiev is preparing an attack on Russia on January 8, 2022."
“We were two miles ahead of them,” said Putin’s adviser, guessing that Russia attacked Ukraine on the 24th.
According to Kobyakov, Kiev does not want to “offer the war as a gift until the day of death,” and that Russia attacked first “due to the foresight of the Russian faith.”
The Russian official also stated that Zahid was “masquerading as a miner of Minsk”, but in reality he was “preparing Ukraine before war.”
20.55 At Pishchantsa Samarivo district in Dnipropetrovsk region there is a bulge. The local government does not name the exact cause, but calls it a “military evil” through which a person died and 11 others were injured. The head of OVA Oleksandr Ganzha told us about this.
"At the moment we know about one person who died through a bruise. Another 11 were injured. Three private cabins were destroyed, 15 were damaged. People were evacuated from the epicenter of the bruise. They were rescued from the local bags. Smut infection - record all the damage and give people the help they need,” he wrote in social media.
The OVA officer added that Pishchantsa has a mobile police headquarters. There they accept statements from people about poshkodzhene maino. Access to unsafe boundary areas.
The Samara district administration announced the evacuation of residents of the Pishchanskaya community “from the unsafe zone.”
20.23 At least 47 out of 50 Russian universities are encouraging students to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense. The main vector is the army of unmanned systems: they promote students from at least 46 of the top 50. 32 of them also have lighting programs from unmanned aerial vehicles.
Some universities are planning to join the BARS Moscow volunteer camp to protect the skies of the capital of the Russian Federation, medical universities are calling on the service of doctors and residents.
Propaganda methods range from advertising on websites to direct advertising. In 44 VNZs, information about contracts is posted with open access, in 43, recruitment is carried out on campuses, and in some others, in branches.
Students are characterized by the term “one job for everyone”, high salaries and career prospects, but legal authorities say: this is a standard contract of the Ministry of Defense, which does not give the right to salary and does not guarantee the work of the drone operator itself.
19.55 The Ruler of Russia, Volodymyr Putin, has finally changed his work schedule for Tuesday, September 25th, for the visit of the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe. Plans for this day's large-scale entry, for which hundreds of people were involved in preparation, were postponed several days before it took place.
Once Ratcliffe's visit is confirmed, it will be the first visit of a CIA director to Russia after the start of a full-scale war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The first visit of the head of American intelligence to Moscow took place at the end of November 2021. Then CIA Director William Burns conducted negotiations and anticipated Russia's claims that the United States was obtaining information about preparations for the invasion of Ukraine.
19.17 The United States attacked Ukraine with promises not to launch strikes on Russia while CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Moscow on a visit. This is reported by Axios via email to Dzherel.
According to the words of Dzherel, who was familiar with the situation, before Ratcliffe’s trip, the United States informed Ukraine that there was a “high-ranking delegation” directly to Moscow, and asked them to slow down their strikes before they left.
Recently, The Financial Times journalist Christopher Miller reported that Washington, having asked Kiev for an hour's visit of the CIA director to Russia, not to attack Moscow, but also St. Petersburg and the foreign regions of the Russian Federation.
“Ukraine is in good condition, they said. Today we are happy that a US Air Force C-17 aircraft has landed in Moscow,” said the vin.
18.56 The Ukrainian army moves in between the village of Zapadne and the village of Dvorichna Kupyansky district of the Kharkiv region. This was reported by the OSINT project DeepState.
18.04 In the middle of the Russian shelling, two key metallurgical enterprises of Ukraine, which account for 72% of steel production, were out of tune : Zaporizhstal of the Ukrainian holding Metinvest Krivorizhstal international corporation ArcelorMittal. A trivial downtime can cause extremely negative consequences for the entire Ukrainian economy, write LIGA.net.
17.48 CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow to conduct secret negotiations. About this, having informed the CBS News channel about sending to the Dzherel.
17.21 Russia cannot allow the third party to control the Donbass. Kremlin spokesman Dmitro Peskov said this in comments to Russian propagandists.
He explained that Russia does not accept military actions, so there is still no way to end the war that is pleasant for itself.
16.50 At the hour of the operation in the Dvorichansky district in the Kup'yanshchyna, foreign military servicemen of the R.U.G. Charter Corps cleared the plot of the locality of the abandoned Dvorichna and took control pіvnіchnu part of the settlement of Zapadne.
In this area, 7.5 sq. m were allocated to the Russian occupiers. kilometers of Ukrainian land.
16.45 In Kiev, they hounded the Russian Federation, which was organizing a scheme for transporting military personnel from Ukraine. The National Police reported this.
16.32 For 15 years, three more Russian agents were withdrawn, as they coordinated missile, bomb and drone strikes on the Donetsk region.
16.21 The Supreme Committee for the sake of national security, defense and intelligence is not preparing current legislative initiatives, bills for the mobilization of women. This is stated in the official statement of the press service to the Parliament.
15.58 Russian drones attacked Zaporizhzhya. Three people were injured. Let us provide medical assistance to those who suffer. There were about 10 cars occupied.
15.52 As a result of the Russian bomb attack on Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, the number of injured increased to 24 people. Ochilnik OVA Vadim Filashkin reported this on Telegram. The site has damaged at least 34 surfaces, three administrative buildings and infrastructure facilities.
15.45 During the investigation of the crime of the commander of one of the military units stationed in the Kiev region, a large arsenal of armor, ammunition and weapons was revealed.
Under the hour of 14 searches, machine guns, machine guns, grenade launchers, pistols, anti-tank guns, grenades, a vibrator, a detonator and a significant amount of strength were obtained from the military unit and behind the places where the defendants lived. taps of different caliber. Some of the spare parts have small serial numbers, and the arsenal itself has not been in the guise of a military unit.
15.18 The International Register of Traffickings caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has opened for filing a new category - A3.4 Waste of paid work.
Applications in this category can be made by individuals who were employed or self-employed and who wanted to save income through the loss of work as a result of the brutal aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The new category conveys the possibility of fixation in order to compensate for the earnings that the person was unable to withdraw due to the loss of work caused by the war.
Nowadays, for individuals who have lost their income as a result of Russian aggression, category A3.5 Waste of private enterprise is now available.
15.06 Behind the bags of the remaining countries of the Nordic-Baltic Supreme Council and the Coalition of the Wanted, Ukraine took away “three pieces” of Patriot missiles and other types of air defense missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this at a press conference with Estonian President Alar Karis near Kiev.
14.34 In the time-occupied Crimea, river inflation in the year 2026 fell to 15.79%, which is more than 2.5 times higher than the average figure for Russia - 5.98%. In Sevastopol, prices per river increased by 14.74%. About this, compare data to Rosstat. One of the main reasons for the rapid increase in prices was the increase in the price of sleeping pills. In Crimea, gasoline prices increased by 142.47%, and for the river - by 211.37%.
14.21 Units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces 24-25 Serpny lost the military goals of the Russians. The ZSU General Staff provided details.
13.59 Russian aggressors hit Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region with air bombs. 12 people were injured, informing OVA staff member Vadim Filashkin on Telegram.
13.42 At least 17 children died near the lime tree in Ukraine, and another 166 were injured. This is the largest number of dead and injured children in one month from the beginning of 2022. The intercessor of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peace, Rosemary DiCarlo, spoke about the price at the UN Security Meeting.
According to these words, more civilians died in Ukraine than in any other month from the beginning of 2022. As of early 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed the death in Ukraine of at least 16,874 civilians, including 820 children. Another 51,273 civilians were injured.
13.29 In Russia, in Dalekoye Skhod, there was a fire at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGKhK), the daily life of which is contagious. The press service of the enterprise reported this.
Telegram channel 112, which is close to the security forces, reported that a barrel of methanol was knocked over at the plant, after which the fire burst into flames. One person died and 87 others were injured.
13.01 The statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense about the burial of the settlement of Novokostyantinivka (Pershe Travnya) does not demonstrate validity. The population of the Sumy region is under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and military operations are directly affected. This was reported to the Center for Communication of the Grouped Military District of Kursk.
12.00 The Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked the Afipsky oil refinery plant near the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation on the 25th day of the night. I told the ZSU General Staff about this.
The installation of two U-272 gas separation units at the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant was also confirmed.
11.39 US President Donald Trump welcomed the Ukrainian people on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the renewal of Ukraine's independence, as it was marked on Monday. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky told social media about this, equaling Trump’s warm words with the sound of the launch of a PAC-3 missile for the Patriot complex.
11.31 A Russian drone kissed the Mykolayiv-Dolinska train in Mykolayivshchyna. As a result of the immediate warning about the fire threat and prompt evacuation, 70 passengers and the locomotive crew were not harmed.
11.13 In Lvov, an agent of the Russian Federation was caught, who was investigating critical infrastructure facilities and the location of the military base and drawings of graphite from a chat bot for spying with the enemy. The SBU reported this.
10.38 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine at the 25th Serpnya, collected data on 79 Russian cooperation enterprises obtained before the production of the Su-35S. 22 of them are still under sanctions from the European Union of Sanctions Coalition. The information was published on the War&Sanctions portal in the section Components for spare parts.
10.23 The surveillance system in six regions of Ukraine recorded a blackout due to Russian shelling. Ukrenergo reported about this. Through this, where safe washing is allowed, emergency work is already underway.
10.14 At the end of the 25th century, Russian troops attacked the village of Slobozhanske in the Dnipropetrovsk region. As a result of the impact, the shopping and entertainment center caught fire. As reported by the DSNS, a fire broke out in the middle of the former shopping center and in the adjacent territory. The guards promptly liquidated the loan. As a result of the Russian attack, the location of the trade center and its internal improvements were significantly damaged. Such a bad looking car.
09.34 Russian military evening 24 sickles attacked the center of the town of Mena Koryukivsky district of the Chernihiv region. 12 people were injured, including four children. The National Police of Ukraine reported this. As a result of the Russian blow, administrative and residential buildings, shops and cars were damaged.
09.15 Russian troops attacked Zaporizhzhya with ceramic aerial bombs. As a result of the impacts, two people died, a part of the road was damaged, there was destruction and fire in the exposed area. According to the head of Zaporizhzhya OVA Ivan Fedorov, Russian cabs caused destruction and damaged the road surface. In the open area, after the impact, the vinyl was burned.
According to OVA data, during the past battle, Russian troops attacked 46 settlements in the Zaporizhzhya region 873 times. As a result of the shelling, two people died and another woman was wounded. Before the OVA, 64 notifications were received about damage to housing, vehicles and infrastructure.
08.31 Russian troops on the night of Tuesday, 25 September, attacked the international automobile checkpoint Vinogradivka in the Odessa region on the border with Moldova with attack drones. Due to the deterioration of the infrastructure, the passage of people and transport services was immediately slowed down. This was reported to the Pivdennaya Regional Directorate of the State Cordon Service of Ukraine. The legacy of the Russian attack damaged the infrastructure of the checkpoint. On the spot, the vinikla burned, as the ritualists had already begun to localize. The Moldovan side was informed about the situation.
08.09 Russian troops attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region more than 20 times in the evening, stagnant drones, artillery and air bombs. Five districts were affected by the attack and three people were injured. As the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Ganzha reported, as a result of the attacks, the town's residents, a gymnasium, a kindergarten, dormouse panels, private cabins and a car were damaged.
07.49 Prime Minister of Great Britain Endy Burnham may invite the United States this month to persuade President Donald Trump to transfer to Ukraine part of the American stockpile of Patriot missiles. He plans to take part in the meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York near Veresna. Behind the words of the British Prime Minister, European leaders also consider the possibility of holding a “coalition of the decisive” meeting during the session of the UN General Assembly.
6.29 Two people died as a result of the skidding of Russian cabs to Zaporizhzhya. The head of the Zaporizhzhya Regional Administration, Ivan Fedorov, told us about this on Telegram.
5.59 Krasnodar Territory and Rostov Region of the Russian Federation soon fell under attack from the 25th sickle. After the explosions in one place, the fire began to burn at one of the refineries. This is reported by the monitoring Telegram channel Exilenova+.
5.33 Prime Minister of Great Britain Endy Burnham and other European leaders plan to invade the United States this coming month. There is a looming threat that American President Donald Trump will give Ukraine access to part of the stockpile of Patriot missiles ahead of the winter. Please note Burnham’s own commentary to the Bloomberg information agency, published on Tuesday 25 September.
3.58 Reinstated for children's rights in Russia, Maria Lvov-Belova was probably “planned to be kidnapped so that she could testify against the Russian dictator Volodymyr Putin.” She stated this herself, reports the Russian government news agency Vedomosti.
2.50 The permanent representative of Ukraine to the UN Andriy Melnyk preceded the Russians about the new mass mobilization, which, in his words, may emerge after the 20th spring, and calling for them to leave Russia, not yet It's late. Ukrinform reported about this at a meeting for the sake of UN Security, timed to coincide with the Independence Day of Ukraine.
1.43 Advocate of the US Resident Representative for the organization of Den Negrea during the meeting for the sake of UN Security, calling on Russia and Ukraine to launch strikes on civilian targets and return to the negotiating table. Ukrinform reports about this.
0.58 The destruction of a 16-surface lifeboat as a result of a hostile attack is recorded in the Golosiivsky district of Kiev on the night of the 25th sickle. The Kiev Municipal Military Administration reports this on Telegram.
0.37 The attack of the Russian drone led to the destruction of a rich apartment building in Zaporizhzhia Vechera, 24 Serpnya. There was a fire there, the head of the Zaporizka OV Ivan Fedorov announced on Telegram.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 20:47 Operators of attack UAVs of the Eastern Forces Group stopped an attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strengthen their positions in the Zaporizhzhia region. 20:31 During the day from 8.00 to 20.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 39 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Rostov regions and over the Black Sea.
20:07 152mm 2S19 Msta-S crew from the 288th Guards Artillery Brigade of the West group liquidated Ukrainian Armed Forces drone control center in the Kupyansk direction
19:20 Luhansk under attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces UAVs, above the city saw Ukrainian "Hornet"
18:51 Recorded strikes in an industrial zone in Sumy
18:26 in Zaporizhzhia are fixed arrivals and smoke
17:51 In the Peschan community and the Orlovchansky Starostinsky district is carrying out evacuation of the population from the danger zone
17:37 In the Belgorod region as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian Armed Forces UAV two civilians were wounded.
17:10 Calculations of strike UAVs of the "Center" group worked out against Ukrainian Armed Forces targets in the Dobropillya direction.
16:23 As a result of a targeted attack by a Ukrainian drone, two employees of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant were injured
The attack occurred in the area of the station's hydraulic structures while employees of the repair and construction shop were performing their duties.
One of the injured is in serious condition, the other is in moderate condition. Both employees were quickly evacuated to a medical facility. They are receiving all necessary medical care, and their condition is under medical supervision.
15:51 Russian naval infantry rocket launchers blocked approaches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the settlement of Dobropillya
15:25 Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked a passenger bus and a car wash in Gorlovka, there were no casualties
14:56 In Afip liquidated consequences of the UAV attack
14:35 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of August 25, 2026
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
Units of the "North" force group have improved their tactical position. They have defeated the personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized and airmobile brigades and the territorial defense brigade near the villages of Ulanovo, Pisarevka, and Khrapovshchina in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov region, two mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Prikolotnoye, Berezhnoye, Goptovka, and Blagovatnoye in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 215 servicemen, a tank, five vehicles, two electronic warfare stations, and an Israeli-made RADA RPS-42 counter-battery radar station.
Units of the "West" force group have occupied more advantageous positions and lines. The personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, and an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as two territorial defense brigades, have been defeated near the settlements of Maleevka, Novy Mir, Shevchenkove, and Chervony Oskol in the Khar'kov region, and Svyatogorsk, Pryshyb, Raigorodok, and Mayaki in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy's losses amounted to more than 230 servicemen, three Western-made armored personnel carriers, 16 vehicles, three field artillery pieces, and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces have improved their position along the forward edge. Formations of four mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, a mountain assault brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a naval infantry brigade have been defeated near the settlements of Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Druzhkovka, Semenovka, and Kurtovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 150 servicemen, three armored combat vehicles, 26 cars and two field artillery pieces.
As a result of active and decisive actions by units of the Center group of forces, the village of Annovka in the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated.
The manpower and equipment of three mechanized, ranger, and airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, and three National Guard brigades were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Viktorovka, Belozerskoye, Novotroitske, Gruzskoye, Dobropolye, Novogrishino in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Maryevka and Yuryevka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 350 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, nine cars, an artillery piece, and three electronic warfare stations.
Units of the "East" force group advanced deep into the enemy's defenses. They defeated the personnel and equipment of two assault brigades, two airborne assault brigades, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a naval iunfantry brigade near the settlements of Malinovka and Kolomiytsi in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Barvinovka, Nezhenka, Chervony Yar, Omelnyk, and Chervonaya Krynytsia in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The enemy lost over 300 soldiers, six vehicles and an artillery piece.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the mechanized and mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Orekhov, Malokaterinovka and Yurkovka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Up to 30 military personnel, 14 vehicles and five electronic warfare stations were destroyed.
13:57 Russian Armed Forces with Geraniums hit a tanker in the port of Yuzhny and a dry cargo ship in the port of Odessa, as well as two Ukrainian Armed Forces vessels in the Black Sea
13:18 Over the past 24 hours, the Zaporizhzhia region suffered attacks from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Six people, including two emergency workers who were extinguishing the fire were wounded.
13:00 Coming shelling of Kamenka-Dniprovska by the Ukrainian Armed Forces
12:24 Units of the Center group of forces released Annovka settlement, Donetsk People's Republic.
11:48 Man died and two more people were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Bryansk region.
11:25 As a result of the attack by a Ukrainian Armed Forces UAV in the Kalininsky district of Gorlovka, a peaceful resident was wounded
11:02 Russian Armed Forces continue to strike targets in Khar'kov and the region
10:36 Man suffered when a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone exploded on the territory of a private home in Malinovka, Belgorod District
9:56 Russian Army inflicted attacks on infrastructure in Odessa
Ukrainian energy company DTEK announced an emergency situation that is currently being addressed.
09:32 The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued application of group strikes on Ukrainian ports and ships involved in delivering cargo to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Last night, attack drones struck a dry cargo ship delivering cargo to Ukraine destined for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading military cargo, at the Yuzhny port.
09:07 Drone drivers of the "Center"covered a network of antenna repeaters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
08:28 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 148 air targets over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov regions, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
07:15 Crew of the Molniya-2 strike UAV of the Dnepr group burned a vehicle with a group of engineering reconnaissance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporizhzhia region.
05:39 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS crew of Kostroma paratroopers smashed temporary deployment point for units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
[BBC] The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has travelled to Moscow for unannounced talks, the BBC's US news partner CBS has reported.
John Ratcliffe reportedly arrived in the Russian capital earlier on Tuesday. Neither Washington or Moscow have confirmed the nature of the visit or who he was due to meet.
In-person talks between high-level American and Russian officials are rare.
Flight tracking data confirmed a large US military aircraft travelled to Russia from the US via Latvia on Tuesday. It departed later on Tuesday.
BBC News has contacted the CIA, the White House and Pentagon for comment.
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.
Footage on social media also purported to show a diplomatic motorcade travelling through Moscow.
Ahead of the trip, the US told Ukraine that a senior delegation would be travelling to Moscow and asked Kyiv to suspend strikes until they had left, a senior Ukrainian official told CBS.
Watch: Video shows US military plane on landing approach in Moscow
The trip is thought to be Ratcliffe's first trip to Russia as CIA director, although he has maintained contact with his intelligence counterparts in Moscow.
John Foreman, who served as a British military attaché to Moscow between 2019 and 2022, told Radio 4's PM programme that the visit could be focused on "escalation management" given speculation recent drone activity in Germany could be linked to Russia.
He said: "The Americans don't normally send such a high ranking official to Moscow unannounced at short notice unless something is up."
Foreman said the trip could also concern the release of US detainees currently being held in Russia.
Ratcliffe played a role in negotiations for the release of Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was jailed in Russia for over a year after being accused of providing support to Ukraine.
The CIA was also involved in a 2024 prisoner swap deal with Russia that saw the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, as well as former US marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
The US has had strained relations with Russia since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, Russia has been isolated on the world stage and faced international economic sanctions.
Ratcliffe appears to be one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit the country during President Donald Trump's second term.
Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska last year but the meeting did not lead to a breakthrough. Subsequent US-led peace talks between Russia and Ukraine appear to have stalled.
Several 'doomsday planes' were spotted circling above the US on Tuesday, just hours after the CIA director made a surprise visit to Moscow.
Flight enthusiasts spotted at least five Boeing E-6 Mercury aircraft along the West Coast and in the central region of the nation.
These giant unmarked planes, constructed using the frames of the Boeing 707, are built to survive a nuclear war and coordinate America's military response from the air if bases on the ground are attacked.
Public flight trackers began following the aircraft at around 1:30pm EST, although the main planes appeared with blank or missing call signs on ADS-B services.
The flights followed CIA director John Ratcliffe's trip to Moscow, which sparked a frenzy after the public spotted a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane touching down at Vnukovo International Airport.
The flight's arrival was highly unusual given the current tensions between Washington and Moscow.
Officials have not commented on the doomsday planes seen hours later, nor announced military exercises.
However, E-6Bs routinely fly for training, and seeing five in the sky does not signal a looming crisis.
#3
All the publicity about the 'secret' mission makes wonder if it's a head fake.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/26/2026 8:22 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Beaucoup speculation on the contents of the discussion between the CIA & GRU (apparently the only Russian entity contacted). Two interesting side points that are unambiguously factual. Firstly, the Vatican also had a mission to Moscow on Tuesday. Secondly, on Tuesday President Putin signed Executive order/decree #604 on the 24th of August re infrastructure security. On the 25th of August decrees 608/609/610 were signed. Apparently orders 605/606/607 were issued in between but they are not part of what would be the "Congressional Record" in the US. Many folks entertaining themselves with what those may have contained.
This seems to be another one of those "down the rabbit hole" events that we will never get the straight scoop on. Lots of those lately.
[TWZ] Ukraine’s combat-proven Magura family of uncrewed surface vessels (USV) has gained its largest member to date. The new MV11 is designed for open-ocean operations lasting up to a week and can carry payloads weighing up to 4,850 pounds (2,200 kilograms). The drone boat has so far been shown in one configuration, loaded with 18 small vertically launched Sting interceptors, turning it into a small floating counter-drone battery. Given its significant payload capacity and other capabilities, it could be utilized in other roles, too.
The MV11 made its public debut yesterday at Ukraine’s Independence Day parade in the country’s capital, Kyiv. The uncrewed air, ground, and maritime systems were the centerpieces of this event, underscoring the central place they now hold in the Ukrainian armed forces. The maritime portion of the parade, which took place along a section of the Dnipro River, featured additional members of the Magura family, as well as other USVs, including kamikaze types and ones armed with repurposed air-to-air missiles. A drone boat with a launcher for first-person-view (FPV) type aerial kamikaze drones and another with an array of small domed antennas (possibly tied to an electronic warfare system or for use as a communications node) were also present. Various types of aerial kamikaze drones, as well as uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV) armed with anti-tank guided missiles, automatic grenade launchers, and machine guns, were also showcased at the event.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
