The head of the CIA reportedly travelled to Moscow for undisclosed talks.
CBS reported that John Ratcliffe arrived in Russia early Tuesday morning, when photos of American diplomatic cars were taken.
Flight data also showed a large American transport plane leaving Latvia early Tuesday morning and returning just before 5pm.
Neither Washington nor Moscow has commented on the nature of the visit, but in-person discussions between officials from the two nations are relatively rare.
Former British military attaché John Foreman, who worked in Moscow for multiple years, told BBC Radio 4 this morning that the visit may have focused on ‘escalation management’.
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‘The Americans don’t normally send such a high-ranking official to Moscow unannounced at short notice unless something is up,’ he explained.
Russia has launched a number of drones and covert UAVs towards the UK and Europe in recent years.
The International Institute of Strategic Studies issued a sobering report in which they found Vladimir Putin’s shadow fleet ships sent drones into Britain and Europe, targeting airports, bases and nuclear sites.
Among the sites affected by the spy drones were RAF Fairford, Feltwell, Lakenheath and Mildenhall, and dozens of sites across continental Europe.
‘We assess it is likely that Russian-linked vessels and the ‘shadow fleet’ were used as launch or recovery platforms for UAVs as part of the Kremlin’s wider unconventional war on Europe,’ they warned.
Since 2024, mystery drone sightings have plagued airports, military bases and civilian areas as Russia increasingly tests the limits of its spyware.
‘The Kremlin was likely able to map reaction times, coverage gaps and limitations across European integrated air defences,’ the IISS added.
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