Is this the CIA's idea of a secret these days?

The C.I.A. analysts’ concern that Putin may not be receiving honest assessments from his own advisers is probably the most consequential detail here. A private warning from outside that circle could matter precisely because it gives him information his subordinates may be reluctant to provide.

Using the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director as the messenger is an unusual choice for what amounts to a warning about the costs of continuing the war. The CIA may carry more credibility with a former intelligence officer than an ordinary diplomatic appeal would.

Russia’s inability to make significant battlefield advances despite its losses helps explain the timing of the Moscow visit. A worsening position gives the warning much more weight than it would have had earlier in the war.

The New York Times says some officials hoped Putin would regard Ratcliffe’s message as “more urgent and credible” than normal diplomatic communications. That is an interesting reason to send an intelligence chief instead of relying on the usual diplomatic channels.

He noted that the life expectancy of a Russian soldier on the front lines was less than 35 minutes.

That is horrific.