CIA chief warns Russia on Ukraine war as US downplays NATO threat: drone strikes hit refinery, cities
Story Timeline
10 days · 11 summary articles
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow this week and delivered a direct warning to Russian officials about the deteriorating state of Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to The New York Times. Ratcliffe met with Aleksandr Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security Service, and urged Moscow to pursue serious peace negotiations, citing Russia’s worsening military and economic position .
The Kremlin confirmed Ratcliffe’s visit but said he did not meet President Vladimir Putin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Putin was briefed on the discussions but declined to disclose details .
U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed the significance of the trip, telling reporters on Thursday that he was “not concerned” about a potential Russian attack on NATO territory. Trump added that he had “good talks” with Putin and dismissed media reports about Ratcliffe’s warnings .
The warning came as Ukraine and Russia exchanged strikes across multiple fronts. Ukrainian drones hit the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl, one of Russia’s largest, setting it ablaze . Russia launched 164 strike drones at Ukraine overnight, with Ukrainian air defenses downing 137, while strikes were recorded at 16 locations .
Russian attacks also destroyed Nova Poshta sorting centers near Kyiv and in Sumy, damaging three trucks in the latter . In Kherson, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents to evacuate amid intensifying Russian bombardment that threatened prolonged power and heating outages .
Meanwhile, Russia warned Britain of potential strikes on British military targets after Prime Minister Andy Burnham vowed to provide Ukraine with technology to produce Storm Shadow missiles domestically. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused London of being “one step away” from legal complicity in what she called “terrorism” against Russian civilians .
Ukraine received a small batch of U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as Russia continued using ballistic missiles against Ukrainian cities . The AP reported that U.S. Patriot interceptor stocks in Europe had fallen to a “more than critical” level due to transfers to the Middle East and use in conflicts there .
Four EU countries—the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden—pushed the bloc to reconsider using frozen Russian central bank assets, estimated at roughly €200 billion, to fund Ukraine. In a letter to the European Commission, they argued it was time to explore further use of the immobilized funds .
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, warned that Russia was considering hybrid attacks against individual EU member states, particularly the Baltic countries, to destabilize European support for Ukraine .
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Articles
Kremlin considering hybrid attacks on individual EU countries, CCD Chief says Russia is considering hybrid attacks against individual EU countries, particularly the Baltic states, in an effort to weaken European support for Ukraine and pressure societies into pushing their governments to stop aid to Kyiv.
ukrinform · about 3 hours ago
Russian spy network targeting Ukraines Defense Forces exposed in Kramatorsk The counterintelligence unit of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) neutralized an FSB spy network in the Donetsk region and detained four people who recorded the coordinates of Ukraines Defense Forces and monitored the aftermath of Russian attacks.
ukrinform · about 3 hours ago
Russian forces attack Dnipropetrovsk region more than 10 times overnight, killing two Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region more than 10 times overnight, using an aerial bomb, drones and artillery, killing two people.
ukrinform · about 3 hours ago
C.I.A. Chief Delivered Bleak Assessment of Russias War in Secretive Moscow Visit John Ratcliffes meeting this week with a Russian intelligence chief was aimed at pushing the Kremlin to pursue a peace deal with Ukraine.
new york times · about 3 hours ago
Russian UAVs attack civilian facilities in Kyiv region, significant damage recorded #UkraineRussian UAVs attack civilian f...
mastodon bot · about 3 hours ago
Nova Poshta says its sorting centers in Sumy and Kyiv region were destroyed overnight. Four guided aerial bombs hit the Sumy terminal, damaging 3 trucks, while a drone destroyed the Kyiv region depot. Separately, an Epicentr store in Zaporizhzhia was also attacked during the overnight strikes. #Ukraine
mastodon bot · about 3 hours ago
KYIV POST: CIA Chief Told Kremlin Russias War Is Going Badly – and Putin May Not Know It, NYT Says CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly traveled to Moscow and warned senior Russian intelligence officials that Russias military and economic position is worsening, as US intelligence questions whether Putin is receiving an accurate picture of the war. #Ukraine #World #NorthAmerica #Europe
mastodon bot · about 3 hours ago
Trump says he is not concerned about possible Russian attack on NATO countries US President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns about a possible Russian attack on NATO territory and denied that the CIA chief warned Moscow against attacking the Alliance.
ukrpravda · about 4 hours ago
Trump says Russia will not attack NATO According to US President Donald Trump, Russia is not going to attack NATO territory. Trump also stated that he has had good talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This statement comes after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow, a trip Trump described as semi-routine. While Trump declined to comment on whether Ratcliffe carried a warning, […]
cphpost · about 4 hours ago
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mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
Спроба підпалу в Словаччині. Ціллю був завод Skyeton, підозрюють українця і двох латвійців #Russia #Ukraine
mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
"Де зберігати пальне?": реалії та ризики нового урядового експерименту #Russia #Ukraine
mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
⚡️🇷🇺🇺🇦 – The Ukrainian regional governor of Kherson, the southern city where 280,000 people live, urged residents to evacuate in the face of relentless Russian bombardment. Oleksandr Prokudin called particularly upon families and the elderly to evacuate due to an "extremely difficult security situation" caused by intensifying Russian attacks, which threaten prolonged outages of electricity and heating. This comes as Ukraine is progressively less able to down Russian projectiles amid a severe shortage of advanced air interceptors. @GeoPWatch
telegram_GeoPWatch · about 4 hours ago
Russia launches 164 drones in attack on Ukraine, strikes recorded at 16 locations Russia launched 164 strike drones to attack Ukraine overnight on 28 August. Ukrainian air defence downed 137 UAVs, while strikes were recorded at 16 locations.
ukrpravda · about 4 hours ago
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swissinfo · about 4 hours ago
ADF neutralizes 137 of 164 Russian drones overnight Ukrainian air defense neutralized 137 drones launched by Russian forces against Ukraine overnight from August 27. Hits were recorded at 16 locations.
ukrinform · about 4 hours ago
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ukrinform · about 4 hours ago
KYIV POST: Russia Keeps Kyiv Under Siege With 17 Air Raid Alerts in 33 Hours Kyiv was placed under air raid alert 17 times between midnight on Aug. 27 and 9 a.m. on Aug. 28 as Russia launched repeated waves of attack drones. The alerts disrupted public transport, businesses and daily life across the Ukrainian capital. #Ukraine
mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
🇷🇺 🇺🇦 #Kyiv recorded 13 air raid alerts over a 24-hour period on Aug. 27, setting a single-day record for the capital since the start of #Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, officials reported. The alerts came amid an hours-long Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital.
mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
Russian attacks on Kharkiv region leave two killed, 13 injured over past day Over the past day, Kharkiv and 16 other settlements in the Kharkiv region came under Russian attacks, killing two people and injuring 13 others.
ukrinform · about 4 hours ago
KYIV POST: Tax Russia: Make the Beast Pay for Its Cage Zubrin contends that Russia should bear the financial burden of the security and economic costs its invasion of Ukraine has imposed on Europe. A proposed 25 RVAT on all goods entering or would weaken Russias war economy, generate revenue to support Ukraine and European defense spending, and reduce Moscows ability to finance future military aggression. #World #Ukraine
mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
#UkraineWar, Day 1,647: #Kyiv s 13 Air Raid Alerts on Thursday#Ukraine #RussiaWarCrimes
mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
Russia says it could strike UK military targets in response to Kyivs use of British missiles Russia warned on Thursday that it could strike British military targets inside and outside Ukraine in response to Ukrainian attacks on targets inside Russia using long-range British cruise…
japantoday · about 4 hours ago
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mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
KYIV POST: Playing with Fire: Moscow Lashes Out at UK Over Burnhams Missile Support for Ukraine Moscow threatened British military targets after Prime Minister Andy Burnham approved deeper missile cooperation with Ukraine, as Russias repeated warnings again failed to shift UK policy. #Ukraine #World #Europe
mastodon bot · about 4 hours ago
Russia reports drone attacks as oil refinery burns in Yaroslavl Russian authorities reported drone attacks in several regions, including Yaroslavl region, home to the Yaroslavl Oil Refinery, as well as Moscow.
ukrinform · about 4 hours ago
Russian forces strike Nova Post facility, warehouses in Kyiv region On the night of August 28, Russian forces attacked Nova Post warehouse facilities in the Bilohorodka community and a production facility in Sviatopetrivske, Kyiv region.
ukrinform · about 5 hours ago
Russian attacks on Kherson region over past day leave one killed, 11 injured Over the past day, Russian forces used drones, aircraft and artillery to attack 25 settlements in the Kherson region, killing one person and injuring 11 others, including a child.
ukrinform · about 5 hours ago
Ukraines Nova Poshta says depots destroyed in Russian attacks Russian attacks have destroyed Nova Poshta sorting centres near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and in the northern city of Sumy, the Ukrainian private postal and courier company said on Friday. Nova Poshta said on the Telegram messaging app that four guided aerial bombs hit its Sumy terminal and also damaged three trucks. It said […]
cyprus mail · about 5 hours ago
Trump says Putin wont attack NATO territory The US president spoke out following US media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow this week to dissuade Russia from striking NATO. Moscow dismissed the reports as scare stories. Ratcliffe is one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit Russia since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
le monde · about 5 hours ago