CIA chief's Moscow visit coincided with Putin's three secret decrees
Photo: Russian president Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
On the days of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s unexpected visit to Moscow, Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed three secret decrees whose contents remain unknown, reports The Moscow Times.
According to the legal information portal, on August 25, Putin signed three open and published decrees — numbers 608, 609 and 610. Two of them concern the replacement of Russia’s ambassador to Iraq, while another changes the composition of commissions on the affairs of people with disabilities and veterans.
The previous decree, signed the day before, on August 24, is numbered 604. It allows the state to take virtually any facilities and enterprises under “temporary management” if their owners have failed to ensure adequate protection against drone strikes.
What was kept secret
Three more Putin decrees were signed but not published on the portal and remain classified — numbers 605, 606 and 607. Their contents are unknown.
CIA chief’s visit
The visit to Moscow was the first by a CIA chief since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.
According to Kremlin correspondents, the Russian president even canceled one of his previously scheduled events to meet with the head of the US intelligence agency — hundreds of people had been preparing for the event.
What exactly was discussed during the talks remains unclear. The Wall Street Journal noted that Ratcliffe may have brought Putin a warning based on US intelligence showing that the Kremlin is preparing a new round of mobilization and a possible provocation against NATO.
The Kremlin said the purpose of the visit was to establish contacts between the security services. The last known visit by a CIA director to Moscow took place in November 2021.
At the time, William Burns warned Putin against attacking Ukraine, and several weeks later Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
