CIA’s Secret Moscow Trip Causes PANIC in Ukraine

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron MatéFriday, August 28, 2026

Show Notes

Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war: Their Blood, Our Bullets https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/ Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Check out TruDiagnostic and use our code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTS Check out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support our work and get the ad-free interview with Professor Richard Sakwa: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/subscriber-only-ad-free-cias-secret?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Watch the Friday Free-For-All: “Your parents will die young like mine!” Lindsey Graham’s Sister Unveils New Senate Campaign Promise https://usefulidiotspodcast.com Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to. This week, a big development for the proxy war in Ukraine: CIA Chief John Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow, and depending on which corporate outlet you read, the reason for the trip is confusing. The Wall Street Journal says Ratcliffe went to issue a warning to the Russians, (‘Don’t you dare attack NATO.’) But the New York Times reported that Racliffe was merely sharing some friendly advice that the war isn’t going well for Russia and they should end it before it widens further. Either way, the CIA in Moscow, nearly five years into the war, surely means something is about to happen. To help sort out the confusion, we are joined by Richard Sakwa, author and Professor Emeritus at the University of Kent, who specializes in Russian and European Politics. He explains that, while Russia has dominated the war so far, time is actually not on their side. Useful Idiots: This war has been going on for a long time, and the longer it drags on, the bigger the risk that it widens beyond Russia and Ukraine.Richard Sakwa: That’s precisely the argument of the hardliners, the hawks in Russia, who basically say that time is not on Russia’s side in the sense that the West is in a vanguard of crossing all of Russia’s red lines.Putin himself also added to the warnings that Ukraine and the West are opening a Pandora’s box. It wasn’t quite clear yet what is in that box.In response, [UK Prime Minister] Burnham himself then said, ‘Well, you started the fire.’ Now that shows an extraordinary intellectual and conceptual myopia that the West has been locked into since the beginning of this conflict. They simply cannot understand the underlying logic of this conflict, as if Putin woke up one fine morning in February and attacked Ukraine in his mad zeal to re-establish the Soviet Empire if not the Russian EmpireSo it’s just an entrenched a position. And of course, this raises, as you suggest, that if Russia does not respond, then it is a sign of weakness.00:00 Intro 01:47 Dana Bash MELTS DOWN over Hasan Piker comments 06:24 Caught on tape: showing when Dana Bash said that EXACT THING to Netanyahu 07:41 Professor Richard Sakwa interview 08:22 Why is the CIA in Moscow? 15:31 Who really wants the war to expand? 25:31 The West is crossing Russia's Red Lines 30:43 Boris Johnson admits it again 39:10 Zelensky knew ALL ALONG

Our Sponsors: * Check out Quince and use my code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.quince.com * Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

More from Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté

Oct 19, 2026

“UNDER THE KAMALA HARRIS REGIME IRAN WOULD HAVE NUKED AMERICA” and other insane things said on corporate media this Sunday

Oct 16, 2026

Netanyahu PANICS As Opposition Parties Rally Against Him Before Israeli Elections

Support our work and get the ad-free, extended interview with Miko Peled and Trita Parsi: https://open.substack.com/pub/usefulidiots/p/extended-interview-netanyahu-panics?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web Watch the Friday Free-For-All: Kamala and Pete Are Trapped in a Cult https://usefulidiotspodcast.com Join Miko Peled in supporting Palestine House of Freedom, which creates a high-profile presence for Palestine in Washington, DC: https://www.daralhurriya.org/ Follow Trita Parsi on Substack: https://tritaparsi.substack.com/ Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to. Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war: Their Blood, Our Bullets https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/ Check out Quince and use our code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Check out TruDiagnostic and use our code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Check out HomeServe at https://homeserve.com/useful Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTS Check out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This week, two special guests return to Useful Idiots. First up is Trita Parsi, the geopolitical analyst who has kept us updated with on-the-ground information on Trump’s war on Iran that breaks through the walls of corporate propaganda. We asked Trita what are the most important stories coming out of the Middle East that corporate media is hiding. Trita Parsi: Look, this could change in three days because things are changing so fast. But right now, I would point to two things, one that the media is not necessarily ignoring, but the other one they’re largely hiding.The open one is the fact that we are now seeing increasing movement towards what I think can end up becoming uncontrollable escalation. As bad as the war has been so far, it’s been calibrated escalations by both sides.What is happening now between the Houthis and the Saudis risks transforming into something much bigger, and the calibration can be lost, control can be lost, and that would be very dangerous for everyone.The second thing is the manner in which the Israelis are openly discussing how their security doctrine has changed and turned into something that you certainly wouldn’t associate with what claims to be a democratic country.What I’m referring to is the article by the head of the INSS, the big Israeli think tank, in which he described several points of the new doctrine that should really give you chills.There’s some stuff in it that from an American perspective, I’m sure many people in Washington would not like to hear, such as treating the United States as a declining power, believing that the US is going to abandon Israel anyway, and as a result Israel itself should sever ties with the US.But the other parts of what they’re saying as principles of this new doctrine should really make decision makers and others in America think twice about what does it mean to be a strategic ally of a country that pursues this doctrine…Watch the episode for Trita’s full take. Share Second, we speak with Israeli peace activist and founder of Palestine House of Freedom Miko Peled about the upcoming Israeli elections. Will the elections, which have the potential to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, lead to any major shift in Israel? Spoiler alert: No. Useful Idiots: A lot of people present Netanyahu as the unique cause of the genocide. Once they get rid of Netanyahu, it’ll be OK. What are your thoughts on that claim?Miko Peled: It’s the most unfounded claim anybody can make. I have no idea why anybody would say something so ridiculous.Everyone in th

Oct 12, 2026

MAGA Splits in Two After Trump Makes Diesel Deal with Putin: “You’re Tarnishing Lindsey Graham’s Memory!”

Oct 9, 2026

Israeli App EXPOSED: "It activates your camera and can view every piece of data on your phone"

Support our work and watch the Friday Free-For-All: It Doesn’t Go Well When JD Vance Tries to Define Socialism https://usefulidiotspodcast.com Please watch and share this full interview with Muhammad Shehada. Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to. Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war: Their Blood, Our Bullets https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/ Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Check out TruDiagnostic and use our code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Check out HomeServe at https://homeserve.com/useful Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTS Check out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This week, we’re joined by Useful Idiots fan-favorite Muhammad Shehada, the political analyst and writer from Gaza who has guided us through the mirk of corporate media propaganda since the first week of Israel’s genocide three years ago. On the week of the third anniversary of October 7, and as Gazans prepare for their fourth winter in these unimaginable conditions, Muhammad shares what he’s heard about the conditions on the ground from his friends and family, many of whom have been killed by the Israeli military. My late friend, Ali, my closest friend, was in a refugee camp in the center of Gaza. I asked him how it was going. And he said, ‘Well, you know what? If there’s a God, if there is a judgment day, I would ask him for one thing, one thing only.‘I would ask him to force those Israeli soldiers to go on the same adventure that I have to take every single day to find water and food. Nothing more. That is enough punishment for them. The idea of going every day, out in the open under airstrikes, under constant gunfire, and walking around desperately from one place to another, ten hours just to find water, that is enough punishment.Share Recently, Israeli filmmakers premiered a new film called Naza in which they interview Israeli soldiers confessing to war crimes. The Israeli government has threatened the filmmakers and there have been protests at the homes of one of the filmmakers’ parents. We asked Muhammad about the film and what he makes of the backlash. The most striking thing in that movie was how casually soldiers describe the atrocities they unleashed in Gaza, as matter-of-fact with zero remorse or contortion, nothing.And the thing that strikes you the most is that those soldiers were not providing these confessions out of guilt or shame. They were providing it out of excitement. They were very eager to brag about the formidable force that was at their disposal.I’ll give you an example. I read an article in an Israeli newspaper describing soldiers who were coming back from Gaza and falling into severe depression. They interviewed a psychiatrist in that article to provide analysis about why soldiers feel depressed when they come back.The psychiatrist didn’t say it’s because the soldiers feel guilt or shame. He said it’s because the soldiers in Gaza felt like gods. They were superhumans. They decided who lives and who dies, like they are in charge of life and death of two million people.And then that psychiatrist says that when those soldiers come back home, they feel like nothing. Nobody knows them. Nobody recognizes them. Nobody opens the door for them. There’s no prestige. And that’s what tears them down the most.That’s why a lot of people go back to serve in Gaza, because of the adrenaline, because of the excitement, because of the euphoria of feeling like a god, feeling like a superhuman. And it see

Oct 5, 2026

It takes Katie and Aaron 30 minutes to debunk every lie in this former Biden official’s 4 minute interview on Israel

Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. Support Two Pro-Palestinian Activists Targeted by ICE: https://chuffed.org/project/200834-support-deported-activists?utm_campaign=campaign_share&utm_id=01a09598-a023-794c-aa44-bfe0371f4d89&pdm=twitter Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war: Their Blood, Our Bullets https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/ Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Check out TruDiagnostic and use our code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com Check out HomeServe at https://homeserve.com/useful Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTS Check out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support our work and get the ad-free, extended interview with Momodou Taal and Chris Godshall: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/bombshell-cornell-suspends-pro-palestine?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Watch the Friday Free-For-All: MAGA Congressman Warns that Belligerent, Religious Army is Planning to Destroy the Middle East https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/maga-congressman-warns-that-belligerent?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.

See all episodes →