According to Ratcliffe, US intelligence fully aligns with open-source reports describing the catastrophic situation facing new Russian army recruits.

"That’s because AI-powered drones have gotten to be such specialized, low-cost killing machines," Ratcliffe said.

He added that despite Russia's significant advantage in manpower, Ukraine's Defense Forces have managed to hold back Russian advances thanks to technological innovations in drone warfare.

Russian losses and the role of artificial intelligence

US officials say the Russian army is losing around 7,000 soldiers every week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said that more than 80% of enemy targets are now destroyed using drones.

Given their effectiveness, Washington and its allies are considering additional funding for Ukrainian drone development programs and are also seeking access to the underlying technologies of their AI systems.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi recently said that Russian forces lose more than 400 soldiers in the Donetsk region to capture just one square kilometer of territory.

According to available data, the number of Russians willing to fight has fallen by 20% over the past year. In the first quarter of 2026, only 71,200 people received one-time enlistment bonuses after signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.