Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine survive no more than 20 to 30 minutes on the battlefield, the Central Intelligence Agency chief, John Ratcliffe said.
Speaking at a defence and innovation summit in Pennsylvania, the CIA director said: “What I would say is, our intelligence is consistent with some of the open-source reporting you may have seen in Ukraine. So 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.”
His comments came as protests erupted in Ukraine after president Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov after just six months in the role, following a dispute between the reformer and Kyiv’s top general.
Fedorov had sought to reshape Ukraine’s army into a more efficient fighting force and was credited with implementing positive reforms during his short stint in office.
The 35-year-old tech expert fell out publicly with the head of Ukraine’s armed forces General Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom he accused of stirring up intrigue, blocking his initiatives and sabotaging his work. He could be replaced by Ukraine’s current interior minister, Ihor Klymenko.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in the capital Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities to demand Fedorov be reappointed.
