Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
25 August, CIA Director John Brennan, whom the media call one of the president of the United States’ most trusted aides, visited Moscow on a secret, unannounced trip. There was no official information about it. The last time the CIA director visited the Russian capital was before the full-scale war in Ukraine, so the media exploded with insider information, guesses, assumptions, and versions about why it happened exactly now. And only today did the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirm that the visit occurred. What is known about the secret (and rapid) visit of Brennan to Moscow — in the material by Gorod on.
Secret visit
The visit of the CIA director to Moscow was reported citing CBS News sources. Eyewitnesses also said a U.S. diplomatic-plate convoy drove through the streets of Moscow.
This was Brennan’s first trip to the Russian capital since taking office and, in general, the highest-level visit by a representative of the Donald Trump administration to Russia since January, Axios noted.
As media found out, Brennan arrived on a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, which stopped in Latvia on the way from the United States to Russia. This aircraft belongs to military air transport and is intended for transporting service members, equipment, and cargo. BBC journalists noted that the plane stayed in Moscow for literally a few hours.
There is currently no reliable information about what Brennan did in Moscow — not even anonymous insider data.
Peskov 26 in August stated that Brennan allegedly did not meet with the illegitimate president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
"I can only tell you that contacts at the level of intelligence services took place. No meetings with the Russian president occurred. And that is all I can say on this. It is clear that President Putin is promptly informed about everything," the spokesperson assured.
There were no comments from the American side.
Call for a ceasefire and classified decrees
Media reported that the United States asked Ukraine not to strike Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the northern regions of Russia from Monday to Wednesday. According to the FT, the request was connected exactly with Brennan’s visit, and Ukraine agreed. However, the U.S. Air Force aircraft left Russia that same day — presumably earlier than planned.
Against the backdrop of the CIA director’s visit to Moscow, Putin signed three secret decrees that were not published on the Russian legal information portal, Russian media noted. What they are about remains unknown for now.
Why did he come? A warning to Putin or intelligence contacts
The Russian anonymous public group "VChek-OGPU", associated in Russia with former Rosbal t journalist Alexander Shvarov, reported that the CIA director definitely met with FSB representatives.
Read also
Mykola Knyazhytskyi
The CIA director’s visit looks least like resuming the peace process
26 August, 14.35
Blogs
At the same time, Ukrainian MP Mykola Knyazhytzkyi regards the official Russian version of “intelligence contacts” as unlikely, since information between the U.S. and Russian intelligence services is regularly shared even without this, and involving the highest leadership is unnecessary.
"If the CIA director personally flies to a country that waged the largest war in post-war Europe, this is something extraordinary. There could be many scenarios. Clearly, most would be related to the United States trying to prevent an escalation of the war by Russia," the politician believes.
The insider from the VChek-OGPU also spoke of "mysterious activity" in Moscow before and after the CIA director’s visit. According to him, on Sunday two aircraft departed from Vnukovo airport with a small interval — Il-76 and the government Tu-214. The source noted that this is usually the case the day before Putin’s visits to other countries. They transport Putin’s car, a special security detail, and more.
"Today Brennan arrived. Putin was certainly in the Kremlin today, so they most likely met in person. Right after Brennan, a plane from the Kremlin security unit "Rossiya" departed Moscow," the public wrote.
American journalist Michael Weiss believes that since this was a rapid visit, it is unlikely Brennan met with Putin, otherwise he would have forced him to wait until next week.
At the same time, a propagandist from the Kremlin pool, Alexander Yunashev, hints that the meeting could have happened because Putin allegedly had some major event scheduled for Tuesday, but several days ago it was moved.
"The cudgel replaced the carrot"
WSJ sources among American officials think Brennan could have brought Putin a warning. The article describes not insider information, but rather suppositions about what might have been the subject of talks. It is the war in Ukraine (including a possible new wave of mobilization in Russia), possible Russian operations against NATO countries, and Kremlin support for Iran.
Russian political commentator Serhiy Kovalchenko believes that against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s plummeting ratings due to the Iranian crisis and a deadlock in talks on Ukraine, the White House is using this visit to show toughness toward the Kremlin and support for NATO allies in Europe, and to test the ground before the Congressional elections.
The analyst noted that usually such visits use military-modified business jets that provide a high level of comfort for VIPs and outwardly resemble ordinary civil aircraft. But Brennan arrived on a "huge military transport" capable of carrying 102 parachutists in full gear.
"Symbolism in politics plays a huge role, and in the Kremlin they would have to assess such a striking appearance of the CIA director disembarking from a heavy transport aircraft in a motorcade of enormous armored Chevrolets. It looks like a display of force. Now everything is "adult" — a military transport, own cars, service personnel and a demonstrative tough stance from the White House. The cudgel replaced the carrot," wrote Kovalchenko.
Glen Howard, director of the American think tank Saratoga Foundation, told RFE/RL that the character of this trip indicates that "the stakes were high." He stressed that CIA directors do not travel to Moscow without a truly important reason.
Many media outlets recall that the last known CIA director visit to Moscow occurred in November 2021. Then William Burns, who headed the agency under Joe Biden, met with Putin and tried to avert an attack. Despite this, Moscow began the full-scale invasion a few weeks later.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Таємний візит глави ЦРУ до Москви – попередження Путіну, секретні укази й контакти спецслужб. Що відомо". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Gordon.
