Putin Signs Three Secret Decrees as CIA Chief Makes Surprise Moscow Visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed three secret decrees on Aug. 25, the same day CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow, according to Russia’s official legal information portal and Russian media reports. The decrees, numbered 605, 606 and 607, were signed but not published, leaving their contents unknown. Their existence can be inferred from the numbering of Putin’s other decrees published that day.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The unusual gap in the public record came as Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow for undisclosed meetings with Russian officials and as Washington asked Kyiv to temporarily refrain from striking Moscow and St. Petersburg during the US delegation’s visit. The timing of the classified decrees and Ratcliffe’s visit has fueled speculation over whether the documents relate to Russia’s military plans, mobilization, security measures or sensitive negotiations. Three decrees missing from public record According to the Russian legal information portal, Putin signed three publicly available decrees on Aug. 25: Nos. 608, 609 and 610. Two concern the replacement of Russia’s ambassador to Iraq, while the third changes the composition of commissions dealing with veterans and people with disabilities. Other Topics of Interest ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 25, 2026 War in Ukraine - Latest update, key takeaways and map from the Institute for the Study of War on August 25, 2026. Putin’s previous published decree, No. 604, was signed on Aug. 24. It allows the Russian state to place virtually any property or enterprise under “temporary management” if its owners have failed to provide adequate protection against drone strikes. That leaves three numbers – 605, 606 and 607 – between the published decrees. They were signed but not released publicly, indicating that they are classified. Secret decrees xoincide with CIA chief’s Moscow trip Ratcliffe traveled to the Russian capital on Aug. 25 aboard a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft, according to US media reports and flight-tracking data. He was expected to hold a series of meetings with Russian officials, although the CIA did not publicly disclose the purpose of the trip or the identities of those involved. It was Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Moscow since becoming CIA director and the first known personal visit by a CIA chief to Russia since William Burns traveled to Moscow in November 2021, months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin denies Ratcliffe met Putin Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS that “contacts with Putin were not planned.” He told The Washington Post that Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow for “contacts between the intelligence services” and declined to provide further details. That contradicts an earlier report by Kremlin-pool correspondent Alexander Yunashev, who said Putin had canceled an event that had been prepared for “hundreds of people,” apparently to make time for a meeting with Ratcliffe. Washington asked Kyiv to hold fire Ahead of Ratcliffe’s trip, Washington asked Ukraine to temporarily suspend strikes on Russian territory while the US delegation was in Moscow. Axios reported that the US told Kyiv a senior delegation was traveling to Moscow and asked Ukraine to pause strikes until it had left. Ukrainian government sources later confirmed to public broadcaster Suspilne that Washington specifically asked Kyiv not to strike Moscow and St. Petersburg during the visit. The request came as Ukrainian forces have increasingly carried out long-range strikes against targets deep inside Russia, including in the Moscow region. What was Ratcliffe discussing? The purpose of the CIA director’s visit remains unclear. The Wall Street Journal reported that Ratcliffe may have traveled to Moscow to deliver a warning based on US intelligence indicating that the Kremlin was preparing a new round of mobilization and a possible provocation against NATO. Another possibility raised by The iPaper was that the visit could have been connected to negotiations over a prisoner exchange. The CIA has not publicly confirmed the purpose of the trip, while Russian officials have provided few details beyond saying that the visit involved contacts between intelligence services. Alisa is the Head of News and a correspondent at Kyiv Post, where she leads the newsroom’s coverage of breaking events and global developments. With over seven years of experience in TV journalism, Alisa has reported on international and Ukrainian politics, making complex stories easier to understand. Back in September 2022, Alisa joined the Kyiv Post team.