What the CIA director’s mystery trip to Moscow says about Putin's next move

An unannounced but highly visible flight to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe aboard a U.S. Air Force transport plane this week has ignited a fierce debate over Vladimir Putin’s next military move. With Russia’s volunteer recruitment drying up and its economy straining under the weight of 1.4 million casualties, intelligence briefs suggest Putin is preparing a massive, unpopular mobilization of 600,000 new troops.

By Chris Brown

Putin seeks to engineer a new security crisis in Europe in a risky strategy to discredit Nato - The Straits Times

Putin seeks to engineer a new security crisis in Europe in a risky strategy to discredit Nato  The Straits Times

Trump Sent CIA Chief To Moscow Secretly. Even Top US Officials Had No Idea

The unusual mission comes as Trump searches for a new diplomatic route to end Russia's war in Ukraine, while Moscow continues to escalate attacks and resist Washington's efforts to reset relations.

Lukashenko to Meet Putin on Saturday

Lukashenko arrived in Russia on Thursday, with his office saying he and Putin will discuss “key areas of bilateral cooperation.”

Bloomberg: European officials doubt the CIA chief’s Moscow trip was mainly about an attack on NATO

European officials are confident that there is no evidence to suggest Russia is preparing for a conventional attack on NATO or a Baltic state, sources told Bloomberg.