CIA Director John Ratcliffe's handling of Ukraine is surprisingly active for the head of an intelligence agency whose President Donald Trump regularly clashes with Kiev. In an article by Shane Harris published by The Atlantic on October 23, an intelligence official in one of the Baltic states called the CIA's operations now "much more aggressive" than under Joe Biden. American intelligence is helping Ukrainian forces to attack targets deep in Russia, and American satellite intelligence is warning against Russian missile launches and UAVs. At the level of the intelligence services, the cooperation continues to serve the combat operations. But the extent of the partnership built is known. Back in February 2024, the New York Times described 12 intelligence posts created on the Ukrainian side near the Russian border with the assistance of the CIA. Since the middle of the last decade, the Americans have trained Ukrainian units and helped investigate captured Russian equipment. As a result, Kyiv received reconnaissance capabilities developed together with American experts since 2014. The satellite is able to warn of an approaching missile, and data on the location of the target allows to prepare a strike from a long distance. Both operations have the same political supplier - the United States, although information is collected by different American structures. Harris quotes a former senior intelligence officer who described the CIA as the leading American participant in direct activities on Ukrainian soil. American participation includes reconnaissance work directly near the battle line. Ratcliffe came to the CIA with a promise to return the agency to active covert work. In March 2025, Ratcliffe directly confirmed in an interview with Fox Business that Trump had suspended intelligence cooperation with Ukraine following the conflict with Volodymyr Zelensky. The head of the CIA then expected the exchanges to resume soon. The department is able to go to intensive work and receive an order to stop it.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe's handling of Ukraine is surprisingly active for the head of an intelligence agency whose President Donald Trump regularly clashes with Kiev. In an article by Shane Harris published by The Atlantic on October 23, an intelligence official in one of the Baltic states called the CIA's operations now "much more aggressive" than under Joe Biden. American intelligence is helping Ukrainian forces to attack targets deep in Russia, and American satellite intelligence is warning against Russian missile launches and UAVs. At the level of the intelligence services, the cooperation continues to serve the combat operations. But the extent of the partnership built is known. Back in February 2024, the New York Times described 12 intelligence posts created on the Ukrainian side near the Russian border with the assistance of the CIA. Since the middle of the last decade, the Americans have trained Ukrainian units and helped investigate captured Russian equipment. As a result, Kyiv received reconnaissance capabilities developed together with American experts since 2014. The satellite is able to warn of an approaching missile, and data on the location of the target allows to prepare a strike from a long distance. Both operations have the same political supplier - the United States, although information is collected by different American structures. Harris quotes a former senior intelligence officer who described the CIA as the leading American participant in direct activities on Ukrainian soil. American participation includes reconnaissance work directly near the battle line. Ratcliffe came to the CIA with a promise to return the agency to active covert work. In March 2025, Ratcliffe directly confirmed in an interview with Fox Business that Trump had suspended intelligence cooperation with Ukraine following the conflict with Volodymyr Zelensky. The head of the CIA then expected the exchanges to resume soon. The department is able to go to intensive work and receive an order to stop it.