Things are afoot, as evidenced by CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s sudden surprise visit to Moscow via C-17 military cargo plane.
The commentariat is aswirl with rumor as to what his trip could signify. But let us first contextualize with a reminder that this is the first visit to Russia by a CIA director since the fateful November 2021 arrival of CIA Director William Burns, which was marked by the US’s last attempt to thwart Russia from launching its invasion just over two months later.
As such, many have rightfully attributed great consequence to this latest meeting.
WSJ theorizes that the visit may have something to do with the US’s intelligence that Russia is preparing for some large-scale new campaign:
The U.S. has collected intelligence showing Russia’s early preparations for a possible military mobilization in Ukraine and plans for testing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s resolve, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
Analysts said Ratcliffe could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to deliver a warning. “It could be to say, ‘We know what you are thinking about doing, and you better not,’” said Beth Sanner, a former U.S. deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration. “It could also be about the Iran ceasefire and putting someone else in the discussion,” she said, adding Ratcliffe might also touch upon the Kremlin’s support for Iran following a new U.S. sanctions campaign against the regime.
Other online aggregators have reported it could have something to do with Russia’s alleged “drone incursions” into NATO territory, though the CIA director’s personal visit related to this seems a tad far-fetched:
CIA Director Ratcliffe’s visit to the Kremlin was an ultimatum addressing recent drone incursions into NATO territory, aimed at deterring Russia from escalating attacks on Kyiv following Ukrainian strikes on commercial supply chain warehouses, a senior US official has told Faytuks Network.
Russian RVoenkor channel reports that Ukrainian sources believe the meeting is in response to some “significant secret operation” that Russia is preparing:
In Moscow, discussions took place with the Director of the CIA regarding a significant secret operation.
▪️According to Kyiv media, the Ukrainian side is aware of certain aspects and issues that were discussed today in Moscow.
▪️This concerns a significant operation, the preparation of which has been underway in secrecy for a certain period. Its results could have a significant impact on future developments.
What could such an operation be?
Well, for one there continue to be strong rumors of a major Russian operation to be potentially launched into the Chernigov region of northern Ukraine, bordering Kiev:
AMK Mapping writes:
Note: This information comes from Russian and Ukrainian sources who I have spoken to. Both have given me permission to post this. Details which could be used by either Russia or Ukraine for targeting one another have been omitted. Everything mentioned here is already known by each side. Arrows shown on the map are illustrative.
The more likely reason could be the CIA is simply attempting to save Ukraine, which is now both floundering and foundering beneath a wave of Russian strikes which are destroying the last vestiges of its economy. It’s the reason that this past week the US and Ukraine reportedly developed another in a long line of desperate plans to cajole Russia into a ceasefire:
The Ukrainian president said on Sunday that Kyiv had worked with President Trump’s envoys and European officials on the plan. He said it would involve a ceasefire, a reciprocal withdrawal from the front line by Russian and Ukrainian troops and the creation of a buffer zone.
“There are several more ideas from the American side, as far as we know. They want to find the right moment to share them. We are waiting for them,” Zelensky added.
A “Vatican official” reportedly arrived in Moscow to deliver the message and urge Putin to stop the war. Putin had just stated yesterday that he continues to receive “exotic and unacceptable” offers from the US about prematurely ending the conflict.
We can only assume Ukraine’s situation has become more dire than ever, particularly with the coming of winter, which will expose all Ukraine’s worst debilities for the world to see. As such, these are desperate Western attempts to stem Russia’s now-accelerating onslaught.
Whatever the meeting’s true nature, its aftermath witnessed a slew of oddities, with claims the US embassy in Moscow was said to have taken down its American flag immediately after Ratcliffe’s departure, which was later corrected to the ‘American Center’ in Moscow.
US “doomsday planes” were suddenly spotted taking to the skies over the midwest:
That’s not to mention that Putin was said to have signed three “secret decrees” after the CIA head’s visit:
Putin signed 3 classified decrees on the day the CIA director visited Moscow.
* Russian liberal media are reporting on the "sensation."
* They have noted a gap between decrees 604 and 608 in the official list of presidential decrees.
* The content of the documents is unknown, but it is clearly not related to the CIA director's visit. After the classified decrees, decree No. 608 was signed, concerning the dismissal of the Iraqi ambassador, E. Kutrashev, which became known earlier in the morning.
* The classified documents may relate to the protection of critical infrastructure.
The graphic from the Kremlin’s official site shows decrees numbering in order, with No. 605, 606, and 607 missing, which again spurred wild rumors and hysteria:
One Russian analyst’s take about the entire spectacle:
The aircraft carrying the American delegation, led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, has left Moscow.
The Wall Street Journal says this could have been a visit similar to the one before the SMO, when US officials reportedly warned the Kremlin not to proceed.
In this case, the message would be not to begin a mobilisation in Russia, something that has been seriously discussed for the past three or four months and for which there is evidence suggesting preparations are underway. I imagine the decision on whether to mobilise or not will be made depending on the results of the elections in one month.
On the other hand, the CIA Director would also be trying to warn the Kremlin against staging a provocation or testing NATO’s resolve, another possibility that has also been discussed.
Immediately after the meeting, Putin signed three “secret decrees.” The reason for describing them this way is that publicly available Decrees No. 604 and 608 exist, while the three preceding decrees are missing. This is reflected in the registry on the official legal information portal. (or it could be just a coincidence)
Russian political theorist Henry Sardaryan also makes some compelling points about the nature of Ratcliffe’s visit:
Highlighting the desperation behind the scenes which is likely driving these latest efforts from Ukraine comes a startling new statement from star ex-Defense Minister Fedorov that Ukraine is in fact “losing the war against Russia”, and that it only has a window of a few months to turn things around:
Kiev is gradually approaching defeat in the conflict with Moscow, said former Defense Minister Nikolai Fedorov.
“I think we’ve reached a turning point that will determine our future trajectory. But it looks like we’re gradually, slowly losing,” he said in an interview with Reuters.
So, Ukraine only has a few months—precisely timed with the arrival of what is now expected to be a brutally uncompromising winter, wherein a depleted Ukraine, lacking air defense, and with power generation on its last legs, will attempt to stave off an unstoppably relentless Russian ballistic onslaught to its key critical infrastructure. It seems Ukrainian elites see the writing on the wall, and the CIA and other Western sponsors and string-pullers alike are rushing in to make a last ditch effort to dissuade the Russian juggernaut from pulling the plug on the barren white dwarf formerly known as Proxy-404.
The rats are now going over the cliff.
It’s only fitting that Ratcliffe’s arrival would portend the Bankova rodent’s final fall from grace.
At least this is how it’s all beginning to look.
But what do you think? Share your thoughts below.
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@HormuzLetter
BREAKING: “Russian officials have briefed Iran that the CIA Director Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit delivered a message with the US asking Moscow to press Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Russian entities would otherwise face designations under Operation Economic Outcast. Russia declined and told Iran the threatened measures were of limited consequence, according to two senior Iranian sources with knowledge of the briefing. The message also warned that Russian banks, traders and shipping entities tied to Iranian oil, gold and aviation will be sanctioned under the operation unless Moscow moves to close those channels.”
Russia, with 20,000 sanctions and $300 Billion in Frozen Assets is supposed to help Scott aka “Sterling” Bessant. “Sterling” is his nickname given by Ehud Barak in the Epstein files.
Smells like US desperation to me