# CIA Says AI Drones Give Russian Troops Only 30 Minutes to Live > Source: > Published: 2026-07-15 17:09:35+00:00 (Bloomberg) -- Russian soldiers only live an average of 20 to 30 minutes on the battlefield because of Ukraine's artificial-intelligence attack drones, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday. Most Read from Bloomberg - [Thailand Scraps Plan to End Visa-Free Entry for Indian Tourists](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-14/thailand-drops-plan-to-end-visa-free-entry-for-indians-after-hit-to-tourism?utm_campaign=bn&utm_medium=distro&utm_source=yahooUS) - [OpenAI's First Device Will Be Movable, Screenless Speaker Built as AI Companion](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-14/openai-s-first-device-will-be-moveable-screenless-speaker-built-as-ai-companion?utm_campaign=bn&utm_medium=distro&utm_source=yahooUS) - [US Hits Iran With Strikes, Blockade as Trump Plans Hormuz Charge](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-13/trump-says-us-will-be-reimbursed-20-rate-for-hormuz-traffic?utm_campaign=bn&utm_medium=distro&utm_source=yahooUS) "Our intelligence is consistent with some of the open-source reporting you may have seen in Ukraine: the average life expectancy of a Russian recruit right now, arriving on the battlefield in Ukraine, is estimated to be between 20 and 30 minutes," the Central Intelligence Agency chief said at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit on Wednesday. "That's because AI-powered drones have have gotten to be such specialized, low-cost killing machines," he added. GLOBAL INSIGHT: Russia's War Edge Over Ukraine Narrows While Russia has a significant manpower advantage over smaller Ukraine, Kyiv has limited Moscow's advances in part because of innovation with various attack drones. US officials have suggested Russia is losing around 7,000 soldiers per week. And Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said more than 80% of "enemy targets" were being destroyed by drones. Ratcliffe's remarks come as Washington and its allies weigh new funding for Ukraine's drone programs and seek access to the technology behind the AI-guided systems. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek - [Credit Card Holders Are Using 'Friendly Fraud' to Get Back at Retailers](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-13/credit-card-holders-are-using-friendly-fraud-to-get-back-at-retailers?utm_campaign=bw&utm_medium=distro&utm_source=yahooUS) - [Job Hunters Are Using AI to Cheat in Interviews, and Failing at the Office](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-14/ai-tools-can-help-job-hunters-cheat-on-interviews-and-coding-tests?utm_campaign=bw&utm_medium=distro&utm_source=yahooUS) - [How Brands Sneak In Cheaper Ingredients to Protect Their Profit Margins](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-14/from-chocolate-to-orange-juice-more-brands-sneak-in-cheaper-ingredients?utm_campaign=bw&utm_medium=distro&utm_source=yahooUS) - [The Shattering of the Middle East's Most Unlikely Friendship](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-07-10/israel-palestine-conflict-shatters-unlikely-friendship-that-bridged-borders?utm_campaign=bw&utm_medium=distro&utm_source=yahooUS) ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.