Mystery swirls after US military plane lands in Moscow with CIA chief John Ratcliffe aboard
Scoop: CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Russia aboard a C-17 for meetings in Moscow today, sources told @Olivia_Gazis @JimLaPorta and me. @CBSNews
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 25, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: A controversy erupted after publicly available data revealed that a US military aircraft had landed in Moscow.
Hours later, it was reported that Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe was on a day trip to the Russian capital for an unannounced meeting.
John Ratcliffe makes secret Moscow trip for talks
CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Moscow, Russia, for meetings, sources familiar with the situation told CBS News on Tuesday, August 25.
The outlet was the first to report Ratcliffe’s presence in Moscow after an Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane was spotted at a Moscow airport, along with a US diplomatic motorcade.
The report comes after the flight caused a stir when eagle-eyed reporters spotted publicly available tracking data showing the aircraft landing in Russia.
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft appeared to have initially taken off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
It departed Riga Airport at 05:50 GMT and appeared to have landed at around 07:04 GMT.
The meeting is reportedly Ratcliffe's first known trip to Russia as CIA director, although he has maintained contact with Russian intelligence counterparts.
The unannounced meeting comes as negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine have stalled.
Notably, the meeting also comes only a day after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast.”
The operation is a new US strategy to isolate Iran from the rest of the world by placing economic sanctions on countries that maintain trade relations with Iran. Russia is a strategic trading partner with Iran.
John Ratcliffe’s role in Ksenia Karelina exchange
The agency has played a vital role in prisoner exchange negotiations with Russia, including recent US-Russia detainee exchanges in April 2025. Ratcliffe personally negotiated the release of US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina.
The agency was also involved in the 2024 prisoner exchange that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan.
Former CIA Director William Burns traveled to Moscow in November 2021, when he met with senior Russian officials and spoke directly with President Vladimir Putin to warn him against invading Ukraine.
The US and Russia have, nonetheless, shared a strained relationship since the days of the Cold War. However, it was further damaged after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Since then, Russia has been isolated on the world stage and has faced international economic sanctions.
