Europe Watch

CIA Director Made Secret Moscow Trip to Warn Putin Against Attacking NATO: Report– slaynews.com

pgnewser August 28, 2026 0

CIA Director Made Secret Moscow Trip to Warn Putin Against Attacking NATO: Report– slaynews.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s mysterious trip to Moscow this week was reportedly intended to deliver a direct warning to Russia against attacking a NATO country amid U.S. intelligence concerns that President Vladimir Putin could eventually test the alliance with a limited military assault.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Ratcliffe’s surprise mission was connected to recent U.S. intelligence assessments indicating that Putin could attempt an attack against an allied nation in the coming years to gauge whether NATO would respond.

President Donald Trump, however, offered a different account of the closely guarded mission, describing Ratcliffe’s trip as “sort of semi-routine.”

Asked by conservative radio host Glenn Beck whether the CIA director had traveled to Moscow to warn Russia about NATO, potential strikes involving England, or sanctions against Iran, Trump responded that it concerned “none of the above.”

“Something may come out of it,” Trump added, saying his administration was “working very hard to get that war ended,” referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ratcliffe’s visit nevertheless represented one of the highest-level contacts between Washington and Moscow in months.

Russia Threatens Escalation, Zelensky Says Elections Are Too Dangerous

pgnewser August 27, 2026 0

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has made it clear he has no intentions of hold elections during the war with Russia. He claimed election in wartime would put the country at risk. A trip by CIA Chief Scott Bessent to Moscow was triggered by Russia’s preparation to launch an attack on NATO, unnamed sources claim.

Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy – The Guardian– news.google.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

  1. Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy  The Guardian
  2. Zelensky should be asked what he knew about government corruption, ex-minister Mykhailo Fedorov tells BBC  BBC
  3. Zelenskyy details rift with Ukraine’s dismissed defense minister Fedorov  PBS
  4. Zelensky Says His Ex-Defense Minister Was Wrong to Call for Elections  The New York Times
  5. Is the tide at home turning against President Zelensky?  The Times

 

Video. Russia’s overnight drone barrage ignites fires across Ukrainian cities– www.euronews.com

pgnewser August 27, 2026 0

Video. Russia’s overnight drone barrage ignites fires across Ukrainian cities– www.euronews.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

In Sumy, strikes hit a residential area, sparking fires that damaged homes and commercial buildings. Emergency crews were deployed to three locations as residents surveyed the damage.

In Odesa, firefighters tackled several fires after what regional officials described as a large-scale attack lasting more than seven hours. A 16-storey residential building was among the structures damaged, along with a private house, garage, educational facilities, vehicles and a grain elevator.

Ukraine’s Air Force said its defences had shot down or suppressed 233 Russian targets during the overnight barrage, including 258 attack drones, two Oniks anti-ship missiles and several Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles. The force said around a third of the drones were jet-powered, while others included Shahed-type, Gerbera and Banderol systems, as well as decoys.

The attacks also caused damage in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Zaporizhzhia regions. In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were injured, with two taken to hospital, after falling drone debris and fires hit several districts.

Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy – The Guardian– news.google.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy – The Guardian– news.google.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

  1. Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy  The Guardian
  2. Zelensky should be asked what he knew about government corruption, ex-minister Mykhailo Fedorov tells BBC  BBC
  3. Zelenskyy details rift with Ukraine’s dismissed defense minister Fedorov  PBS
  4. Zelensky Says His Ex-Defense Minister Was Wrong to Call for Elections  The New York Times
  5. Is the tide at home turning against President Zelensky?  The Times

 

‘Not an isolated incident’: Russian drones stalk Ukraine’s civilians in ‘human safaris’– www.france24.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

‘Not an isolated incident’: Russian drones stalk Ukraine’s civilians in ‘human safaris’– www.france24.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

First, he freezes, caught off guard. Then the young Ukrainian cyclist begins to backpedal awkwardly, his eyes never leaving the Russian drone that hovers ahead of him. It moves closer, and he swings his leg over the bike and tries to run. He doesn’t make it.

Even though the footage, posted Friday on the official Telegram account of the 3rd Army Corps of the Russian armed forces, cuts off before the moment of impact, the video’s description leaves no doubt of the outcome. The Russian soldiers congratulate themselves on having taken out an “enemy combatant” in the Ukrainian district of Kramatorsk, not far from the front line in the northern Donetsk region.

Two years of ‘human safaris’

But the cyclist was visibly unarmed, wearing civilian clothes and looked like any other young man riding his bike down a country road. Independent Russian media outlet Astra quickly accused the Russian military of trying to pass off an unarmed cyclist as a Ukrainian combatant.

The video spread swiftly across social media as influential accounts, including prominent Kremlin critic and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, reposted the footage to denounce the Russian military’s apparent cruelty.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe took trip to Moscow aboard C-17– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

CIA Director John Ratcliffe took trip to Moscow aboard C-17– www.washingtonexaminer.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly visited Moscow aboard a not-so-secret C-17 Globemaster to engage in high-level discussions with Russian officials.

His visit was reported by CBS News and was cited by Russian state media, including TASS. U.S. and Russian officials both declined to comment or claimed ignorance. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he wasn’t aware of any visit or meetings. If confirmed, it would be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia.

The use of the U.S.’s largest aircraft to visit Moscow stirred widespread speculation. The flight was viewed by both air traffic monitors and filmed by locals. In one of the most widely circulated videos on social media, a local was heard joking, “We are under attack!”

The flight remained a mystery for several hours. A convoy of vehicles with U.S. diplomatic plates was recorded in the streets of Moscow shortly after.

Ratcliffe’s visit was soon confirmed by other outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Axios, and several Ukrainian outlets. The last known trip by a CIA director to Russia was by former President Joe Biden’s CIA Director William Burns, who visited in November 2021 to warn against an invasion of Ukraine.

Putin Wants to Draft 300K New Troops, Zelensky Says– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Putin Wants to Draft 300K New Troops, Zelensky Says– www.themoscowtimes.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Ukraine thinks Russia is planning to draft an additional 300,000 troops for its war effort after Russian parliamentary elections in mid-September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Moscow’s forces are pressing ahead with an effort to capture the rest of eastern Ukraine’s industrialized Donbas region, where its troops have ground forward at what Kyiv says is a great cost.

In comments to reporters released on Sunday, Zelensky said Russia could draft more troops in 2027 to reach an overall goal of 500,000, part of what he described as a “peripheral mobilization” targeting Russia’s far-flung regions.

“We believe it will not take place in the central cities,” he said. “But I don’t think they will be able to hide it very well.”

Parliamentary elections in Russia are set for Sept. 18-20.

As fighting rages around the strategic city of Kostiantynivka, Zelensky said Russia was losing a “maximum” amount of troops in its bid to advance into Ukraine’s so-called fortress belt of eastern cities.

He also hailed recent gains by Kyiv’s troops in southeastern Ukraine, adding that the amount of territory occupied by Russia and liberated by Ukrainian forces in 2026 would be equal.

India expects to boost ties with Moscow during top diplomat’s visit — source – World– tass.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

India expects to boost ties with Moscow during top diplomat’s visit — source – World– tass.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

NEW DELHI, August 22. /TASS/. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is expected to discuss all aspects of bilateral agenda during his visit to Russia in order to boost cooperation between the two nations, a source in the Indian government has told TASS.

“Jaishankar’s visit is of great importance, because it is about the regular dialogue that we maintain with Russia,” the source said. “We would like to discuss all aspects of the bilateral agenda in order to further strengthen our partnership.”

Speaking about Jaishankar’s planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the government source said that along with bilateral issues, the top diplomats will also “discuss geopolitical, international and regional topics.”

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced on Saturday that Jaishankar will visit Russia on August 23-24, at the invitation of First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov. He will co-chair the 27th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and “exchange perspectives on regional and global issues,” the ministry said.

 

CIA chief travels to Moscow for unannounced talks, US media reports– www.bbc.co.uk

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

CIA chief travels to Moscow for unannounced talks, US media reports– www.bbc.co.uk
News Source
EXCERPT:

The trip is thought to be Ratcliffe’s first trip to Russia as CIA director, although he has maintained contact with his intelligence counterparts in Moscow.

John Foreman, who served as a British military attaché to Moscow between 2019 and 2022, told Radio 4’s PM programme that the visit could be focused on “escalation management” given speculation recent drone activity in Germany could be linked to Russia.

He said: “The Americans don’t normally send such a high ranking official to Moscow unannounced at short notice unless something is up.”

Foreman said the trip could also concern the release of US detainees currently being held in Russia.

Ratcliffe played a role in negotiations for the release of Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was jailed in Russia for over a year after being accused of providing support to Ukraine.

Russia, Ukraine working toward new large POW exchange — ombudswoman – Russian Politics & Diplomacy– tass.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Russia, Ukraine working toward new large POW exchange — ombudswoman – Russian Politics & Diplomacy– tass.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/. Russia and Ukraine are currently working to agree on lists for another “quite large” prisoner of war exchange, Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova told TASS.

“We are preparing another quite large [POW] swap, with lists being agreed,” Lantratova said.

A previous major POW exchange took place on August 19 when Russia returned 103 servicemen from the Kiev-controlled territory and handed over 103 prisoners of war to Ukraine. The Pervy Informatsionny television channel of Belarus reported on August 24 that Russia and Ukraine carried out a ten-for-ten prisoner exchange in Belarus’s southeasternmost Gomel Region.

 

South Korea says Russian military planes entered its air defence zone– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

South Korea says Russian military planes entered its air defence zone– www.channelnewsasia.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

SEOUL: South Korea said on Wednesday (Aug 25) it had scrambled fighter jets in response to Russian military aircraft entering its air defence zone, the second such incursion in weeks.

The relationship between the countries has worsened since South Korea joined Western sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and since Moscow built stronger ties with North Korea.

Seoul’s defence ministry said multiple Russian aircraft had entered and then left its air defence identification zone over the East Sea, also called the Sea of Japan.

“South Korea’s military detected the Russian aircraft before they entered the zone and deployed Air Force fighter jets to prepare for any contingency,” it said, without giving details.

The Russian aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace, it said.

Hungary elects supreme court judge ousted by Orban as new president | Civil Rights News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Hungary elects supreme court judge ousted by Orban as new president | Civil Rights News– www.aljazeera.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Hungary’s parliament has confirmed Andras Baka, a former Supreme Court chief and critic of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the country’s next president.

The National Assembly voted in a secret ballot on Tuesday to confirm him as president with 140 votes in favour, six opposing and no abstentions.

He had been nominated on Saturday by the Tisza party, which holds a constitutional majority of more than two-thirds of parliament. During the nomination, Tisza lawmakers said Baka’s experience would represent “a significant asset” as the party lays “the foundations for Hungary’s new constitutional order”.

Opposition party Fidesz – which dominated Hungary’s politics until a landslide electoral defeat in April – boycotted the vote. They accuse Tisza of using authoritarian tactics to reshape the country’s political system, a charge the party denies.

Nigel Farage Wins Clacton election — While a Quarter of Voters Chose a Bin (Trashcan) * The Gateway Pundit * by Peter McIlvenna– www.thegatewaypundit.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Nigel Farage Wins Clacton election — While a Quarter of Voters Chose a Bin (Trashcan) * The Gateway Pundit * by Peter McIlvenna– www.thegatewaypundit.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Nigel Farage won the Clacton by-election. 63 per cent of the vote, more than 22,000 ballots. On the face of it, another clear win for ReformUK. Then you look at second place.

Count Binface — the bloke who campaigns with a metal bin on his head — got 27 per cent and 9,455 votes. More than a quarter of the entire turnout. In a seat that prides itself on being anti-establishment, one in four people looked at the ballot paper and decided the man in the rubbish bin was the best option available.

That’s not a funny anecdote. That’s the story.

The main parties didn’t even bother turning up. No Labour, no Conservatives, no Lib Dems, no Greens. The whole thing became Farage versus a joke candidate, with a few independents and tiny parties making up the numbers. Laurence Fox’s Reclaim managed 347 votes and limped home sixth. The Social Democratic Party candidate got 256 and finished seventh. Under 700 votes between them. That’s not a protest vote. That’s people not noticing you exist.

Hungary unveils new ‘clean up’ plan as governemnt takes first steps to unlocking frozen EU funds– www.euronews.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Hungary unveils new ‘clean up’ plan as governemnt takes first steps to unlocking frozen EU funds– www.euronews.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The Hungarian Integrity Authority is setting up a register of economic operators excluded from public procurement after they were deemed to have committed criminal offences.

This measure, which is essential for the resumption of EU funding, is intended not only to weed out abuses but also to offer a chance for self-cleaning, according to the government.

Budapest argued on Thursday that those who can prove that they have “restored their trustworthiness” should have their names removed from the register.

The Hungarian Integrity Authority is also launching the first registration procedures and will begin keeping a list of economic operators excluded from public procurement.

The primary purpose of operating this publicly accessible database is to ensure that no economic operator can take part in public procurement procedures if its executive officer, member of the supervisory board, managing director or beneficial owner has been the subject to a final court decision for criminal offences as defined in the Public Procurement Act.

The authority stressed that the measure concerns a clearly defined group in legal terms; while making the information public was not about stigmatisation, but about preventing further abuses and ensuring the integrity of public procurement.

State Department offers $500K in grants as part of free speech push in Britain– www.foxnews.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

State Department offers $500K in grants as part of free speech push in Britain– www.foxnews.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The U.S. Embassy in London is offering up to $500,000 in grants to bolster shared values between the United States and the United Kingdom, including freedom of speech, due process and limited government, but at least one British critic is rejecting the offered funding as “MAGA money meddling.”

Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart framed the grant as “Trump’s MAGA money meddling in democracy,” in a quote to The Guardian.

“We have a proud tradition of liberty and freedom of speech in this country,” Smart added.

That tradition, according to free speech defenders, is under threat across the pond.

‘Not an isolated incident’: Russian drones stalk Ukraine’s civilians in ‘human safaris’– www.france24.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

‘Not an isolated incident’: Russian drones stalk Ukraine’s civilians in ‘human safaris’– www.france24.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

First, he freezes, caught off guard. Then the young Ukrainian cyclist begins to backpedal awkwardly, his eyes never leaving the Russian drone that hovers ahead of him. It moves closer, and he swings his leg over the bike and tries to run. He doesn’t make it.

Even though the footage, posted Friday on the official Telegram account of the 3rd Army Corps of the Russian armed forces, cuts off before the moment of impact, the video’s description leaves no doubt of the outcome. The Russian soldiers congratulate themselves on having taken out an “enemy combatant” in the Ukrainian district of Kramatorsk, not far from the front line in the northern Donetsk region.

Two years of ‘human safaris’

But the cyclist was visibly unarmed, wearing civilian clothes and looked like any other young man riding his bike down a country road. Independent Russian media outlet Astra quickly accused the Russian military of trying to pass off an unarmed cyclist as a Ukrainian combatant.

The video spread swiftly across social media as influential accounts, including prominent Kremlin critic and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, reposted the footage to denounce the Russian military’s apparent cruelty.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe took trip to Moscow aboard C-17– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

CIA Director John Ratcliffe took trip to Moscow aboard C-17– www.washingtonexaminer.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly visited Moscow aboard a not-so-secret C-17 Globemaster to engage in high-level discussions with Russian officials.

His visit was reported by CBS News and was cited by Russian state media, including TASS. U.S. and Russian officials both declined to comment or claimed ignorance. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he wasn’t aware of any visit or meetings. If confirmed, it would be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia.

The use of the U.S.’s largest aircraft to visit Moscow stirred widespread speculation. The flight was viewed by both air traffic monitors and filmed by locals. In one of the most widely circulated videos on social media, a local was heard joking, “We are under attack!”

The flight remained a mystery for several hours. A convoy of vehicles with U.S. diplomatic plates was recorded in the streets of Moscow shortly after.

Ratcliffe’s visit was soon confirmed by other outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Axios, and several Ukrainian outlets. The last known trip by a CIA director to Russia was by former President Joe Biden’s CIA Director William Burns, who visited in November 2021 to warn against an invasion of Ukraine.

Putin Wants to Draft 300K New Troops, Zelensky Says– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

Putin Wants to Draft 300K New Troops, Zelensky Says– www.themoscowtimes.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Ukraine thinks Russia is planning to draft an additional 300,000 troops for its war effort after Russian parliamentary elections in mid-September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Moscow’s forces are pressing ahead with an effort to capture the rest of eastern Ukraine’s industrialized Donbas region, where its troops have ground forward at what Kyiv says is a great cost.

In comments to reporters released on Sunday, Zelensky said Russia could draft more troops in 2027 to reach an overall goal of 500,000, part of what he described as a “peripheral mobilization” targeting Russia’s far-flung regions.

“We believe it will not take place in the central cities,” he said. “But I don’t think they will be able to hide it very well.”

Parliamentary elections in Russia are set for Sept. 18-20.

As fighting rages around the strategic city of Kostiantynivka, Zelensky said Russia was losing a “maximum” amount of troops in its bid to advance into Ukraine’s so-called fortress belt of eastern cities.

He also hailed recent gains by Kyiv’s troops in southeastern Ukraine, adding that the amount of territory occupied by Russia and liberated by Ukrainian forces in 2026 would be equal.

India expects to boost ties with Moscow during top diplomat’s visit — source – World– tass.com

pgnewser August 26, 2026 0

India expects to boost ties with Moscow during top diplomat’s visit — source – World– tass.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

NEW DELHI, August 22. /TASS/. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is expected to discuss all aspects of bilateral agenda during his visit to Russia in order to boost cooperation between the two nations, a source in the Indian government has told TASS.

“Jaishankar’s visit is of great importance, because it is about the regular dialogue that we maintain with Russia,” the source said. “We would like to discuss all aspects of the bilateral agenda in order to further strengthen our partnership.”

Speaking about Jaishankar’s planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the government source said that along with bilateral issues, the top diplomats will also “discuss geopolitical, international and regional topics.”

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced on Saturday that Jaishankar will visit Russia on August 23-24, at the invitation of First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov. He will co-chair the 27th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and “exchange perspectives on regional and global issues,” the ministry said.