Russia’s spy chief, CIA director hold call as Ukraine hit by massive airstrike

The call comes even as Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Updated on: Jun 29, 2025, 23:04:09 IST

By Majid Alam

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Russia's foreign intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, held a phone call on Sunday with the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, John Ratcliffe on Sunday.

Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, held a phone call with CIA director on Sunday. (REUTERS)

"I had a telephone conversation with my American counterpart, and we agreed to call each other at any time to discuss issues of mutual interest," Sergey Naryshkin said on Russian state television, news agency AFP reported.

However, Naryshkin didn't provide any details on what was discussed in the call with CIA chief Ratcliffe.

Also Read: ‘477 drones, 60 missiles’: What Ukraine says about Russia’s massive aerial strike

The call comes even as Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

The interaction between the two spy chiefs comes after their first call in March amid rapprochement between Moscow and Washington. During the call, the two officials discussed issues of cooperation between their respective intelligence agencies and crisis management.

Russia’s massive air strike on Ukraine underway

Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles overnight, Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday.

Out of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.

Ukraine’s air force also said that one of its F-16 fighter jets crashed after sustaining damage while shooting down air targets.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Majid Alam
Majid Alam is a Chief Content Producer working at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. He currently heads shifts at online desk and manages homepage apart from writing, editing and curating articles. With over six years of experience in journalism, Majid has navigated national, politics and international news. His work primarily focuses on the politics of the Hindi heartland, government policies, and South Asia. He also writes on US and Europe’s policies vis-à-vis India. Before joining Hindustan Times, Majid worked at ABP LIVE as the Chief Copy Editor and at News18, where he managed the World and Explainers sections. His articles have featured in Dialogue Earth, The Quint, BMJ, The Diplomat, and Outlook India. Majid has a keen interest in the use of data for storytelling. Majid holds a Masters in Convergent Journalism from Jamia Millia Islamia. He was awarded the Erasmus+ scholarship to study International Affairs at Sciences Po, Paris in 2020. He is also part of the OCEANS Network, an alumni network of Erasmus+ exchange scholars. He is currently serving as the National Representative (India) at the OCEANS Network. Apart from journalism, Majid has a flair for academic writing and loves to teach. He has published a book chapter: 'Bombay Cinema and Postmodernism' in the book: 'Handbook of Research on Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema.' He was also part of the OCEANS Network delegation to Hanoi National University of Education in Vietnam in 2025. He has also given guest lecture in digital journalism at AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.Read More

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