Russian troops' 20-minute life-expectancy on meat-grinder frontline: Putin is losing 7,000 soldiers a WEEK because of Ukraine's 'killing-machine' drones, CIA reveals

By WILL STEWART and SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:27, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 16:14, 17 July 2026 Russia is now losing up to 7,000 of its troops each week on the battlefield in Ukraine, the CIA has revealed.  Speaking at the Defence and Innovation Summit in Pennsylvania, the CIA's director John Ratcliffe said: 'The average life expectancy of a Russian recruit arriving on the battlefield in Ukraine is estimated at 20 to 30 minutes. 'That's because AI-powered drones have gotten to be such specialised, low-cost killing machines.'  The finding highlights the horrific toll Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to accept to continue his war against Ukraine. The current rate of 7,000 dead and wounded a week is an annual loss rate of 364,000. AI drones account for more than 80 per cent of destroyed Russian targets, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. To date, about two million soldiers have been killed, wounded or are missing since the full-scale invasion ok Ukraine in early 2022, 1.4 million of them Russian, according to a recent estimate by the Centre for Strategic & International Studies. Neither side releases military casualty data. Russia's troops have struggled to advance this year along the 745-mile front line as Ukraine's drones counter Russia's numerical advantage in troops. Pictured: A Russian soldier running away from a Ukrainian drone, only to lead it straight to his unit and give away its position to Kyiv's forces In recent weeks, Russia has been grinding into the eastern city of Kostiantynivka, one of several towns in Ukraine's 'fortress belt,' a critical defensive front in the Donetsk region. However, Ukraine has been ramping up its attacks on Russia, targeting the infrastructure underpinning Putin's war effort.  Over recent months, Kyiv has repeatedly struck refineries, oil terminals, pumping stations and export facilities deep inside Russian territory. Among the most significant targets were the NORSI refinery near Nizhny Novgorod, Russia's fourth largest refinery with capacity to process 16 million metric tonnes of oil annually. It suspended operations on April 5 following a drone attack. The Moscow refinery was also hit on May 19, and the Ryazan refinery on the 15th, which accounts for almost five per cent of Russia's refining volumes. The Perm refinery, which processed around 12.6 million metric tonnes of oil in 2024, halted processing on May 7 after a drone attack caused a fire and damaged equipment. The cumulative effect has been to place increasing strain on Russia's energy sector, which remains the primary source of funding for the Kremlin's war machine. Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin's draft officers have already begun rounding up men in the city of Penza, about 350 miles from Moscow, according to reports from encrypted-messaging platform Telegram. Residents have said recruiters, accompanied by balaclava-clad men, swept through the city to round up civilians. Unconfirmed reports suggest they were ordered to draft hundreds of daily recruits.  Russia's aggressive drafting in Penza has sparked fresh fears that Putin may order mobilisation across the country. More troops are needed for Ukraine as Kyiv's strikes are hitting Moscow increasingly hard. Pictured: Russian soldiers on crutches being issued weapons and sent to the frontline A new mobilisation plan would be risky for Putin, however, whose approval ratings are lower than they have been in years at 65 per cent. The only previous mass call-up in September 2022 saw an exodus of up to 700,000 people from Russia, according to Forbes. Moscow said the number included at least 100,000 IT specialists along with other highly educated people. And Russia is losing more troops than it can replace, with forces suffering nearly 40,000 casualties each month, according to Western officials. Despite this, recruitment reaches only around 35,000 troops monthly, with army commanders turning to brutal methods to force men into service. Reports suggest poverty-stricken men are being taken from small towns and deprived regions and forced into service, including homeless people, ethnic minorities and prisoners being sent into deadly combat.