An unannounced but highly visible flight to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe aboard a U.S. Air Force transport plane this week has ignited a fierce debate over Vladimir Putin’s next military move. With Russia’s volunteer recruitment drying up and its economy straining under the weight of 1.4 million casualties, intelligence briefs suggest Putin is preparing a massive, unpopular mobilization of 600,000 new troops.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow on Tuesday aboard a U.S. military transport plane, Axios and CBS News reported, with sources familiar with the trip saying that the…

CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow on Tuesday aboard a U.S. military transport plane, Axios and CBS News reported, with sources familiar with the trip saying that the…

It remains unclear who CIA Director John Ratcliffe is meeting or what is on the agenda.

The Kremlin insists it has no further information about the landing

Director John Ratcliffe is known to have a hawkish stance on Russia