A new US intelligence assessment reported by the CIA suggests Russian forces are suffering extremely heavy casualties on the front line in Ukraine, with losses reportedly running at around 7,000 soldiers a week. The assessment attributes much of this attrition to Ukraine's extensive use of drones, which have transformed sections of the front into what is described as a "meat-grinder" for advancing Russian troops.

According to the report, soldiers exposed on the front line reportedly face a life expectancy of as little as 20 minutes once within range of Ukrainian drone surveillance and strike systems, underlining how drone warfare has come to dominate the battlefield. The figures point to the continuing high human cost of the war for Russia more than four years after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.