CIA director John Ratcliffe, visiting Moscow, reportedly privately shared with Russia his “grim” assessments of the Kremlin’s situation in the war in Ukraine, urging the Russians to reach an agreement before their military and economic situation worsens. This is reported by the New York Times citing some sources, according to which Ratcliffe conveyed his message to the head of Russian intelligence and did not threaten any consequences should Vladimir Putin decide to ignore his assessments and continue with the conflict.
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Putin: US weakened by war against Iran
The opinion of the Russian president, however, seems different. Putin believes that it is the United States that is in a position of weakness due to the war with Iran. The Kremlin’s confidential assessment preceded the secret trip to Moscow by the CIA director, which took place during the week. The mysterious mission to Moscow was preceded by new US intelligence information indicating that Russia considers Washington weakened by the standoff with Tehran: this would offer the Kremlin the opportunity to intensify actions against American interests and allies in Europe, reports the Washington Post, based on what was said by two people familiar with the matter. According to US President Trump, however, Putin has no plans for offensive actions against US allies. “I had good talks with him. He will not attack NATO territory,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
AP: Patriot shortage in Europe well beyond critical level
Confirming these fears, according to the Associated Press, the US armed forces are experiencing a shortage “well beyond the critical level” of missile interceptors, especially Patriots, in Europe. In the event of a Russian ballistic missile attack against a military command or a power plant, NATO could find itself in a situation similar to that of Ukraine and be forced to “take hit after hit in mid-flight,” explained a US official cited by the news agency. The US military in Europe “definitely” does not have enough Patriots for a prolonged ballistic missile attack and would have “very limited” capacity to defend against a single attack or a wayward Russian missile.
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Cross attacks continue between Moscow and Kiev
Meanwhile, the war on the ground between Russia and Ukraine continues. During the night, Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region more than ten times, resulting in two deaths. This was announced by Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, via Telegram, according to Ukrinform. “Two people were killed. The enemy attacked two districts more than 10 times with drones, air bombings, and artillery,” Hanzha said. Also in Kherson, in southern Ukraine, authorities urged residents to evacuate the city due to the danger posed by intensifying Russian bombings, which risk leaving the city without electricity or heating before winter.
In Russian-occupied Crimea, several people were injured in the Sevastopol area in a Ukrainian drone attack. This was reported by Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev, who wrote on the Max platform: “Miraculously, despite the damage to the building, only two people were injured: an elderly woman, according to initial information, suffered a closed head injury, while a man sustained cuts to his back caused by fragments.”
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