Considering the extensive media coverage of Chernobyl which certainly included CNN, I am not sure how anyone can claim that "CNN still does not know where Ukraine is".
I think it's not such a stretch to suggest that CIA learned about Ukraine only recently. CIA director recently visited Ukraine so he knows where it is now.
What evidence do you have that the CIA director did not know where Ukraine is prior to his recent visit in view of your stating " so he knows where it is now"? Considering that a search through the US State Dept.website will reveal a page dedicated to Ukraine covering several dated topics and reports, what is it that the US State Dept would have learned about Ukraine that the CIA would not have?
So this whole mess stems from the ignorance, that's the only explanation why US administration supported neo-nazi coup and why it was so surprised to learn that Crimea was actually populated by pro-russian russians and has always had boat loads of russian soldiers in there. CIA simply did not know that.
Related to my above and as you portray the CIA as ignorant and "learned about Ukraine only recently", do you have insights into all the intel data the CIA will gather as part of their FCI operations? The answer can only be "no, I do not".
Are you envisioning the CIA isolated from both domestic and foreign intel agencies? Are you not aware that since the failed CIA report on alleged WMD in Irak, US Congress impressed on the importance to have all FCI operations conducted by other federal agencies being shared in between them? Do you think that the CIA does not have access to intel data gathered by the French, British, etc...nations considered allies to the US?