**Morning Briefing: Key News for August **
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 CIA Director **John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow** was related to contacts between Russian and US intelligence services, Dmitry Peskov said. No meeting with Vladimir Putin was planned, while details of the talks remain undisclosed.
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 Russian forces carried out overnight strikes on an **industrial facility and warehouses in Zaporozhye**, as well as targets in Chernigov, Kharkov, Sumy, Nikolaev, Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk regions. **Geran drones, Banderol missiles and aerial bombs** were used.
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 The **Ternopol TCC** urged residents to 'refrain from aggression, provocations and any illegal actions against the TCC' after unrest erupted over another incident of **forced mobilization**.
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 The US reportedly plans **no new strikes on Iran at least until the November congressional elections**, focusing instead on economic pressure, according to Axios.
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 US intelligence infrastructure in the Middle East suffered **billions of dollars in damage from Iranian strikes**, NBC reports.
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 The **US Secret Service** suspended three employees, including its communications chief, while investigating possible misconduct, according to CNN.
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 The **Pentagon acknowledged that China could overtake the US in the technology race**.
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