CIA director tells Trump Moscow is losing more than 40,000 troops a month — The Atlantic
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has impressed U.S. President Donald Trump by discussing Russia’s heavy battlefield losses in Ukraine while the two play golf, The Atlantic reported, citing unnamed sources.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has reportedly informed President Donald Trump that Russia is suffering significant battlefield losses in Ukraine, potentially exceeding 40,000 troops per month. This information, obtained from unnamed sources, was shared with The Atlantic. The United States continues to provide Ukraine with free intelligence, including targeting data for strikes on Russian military positions in occupied Ukraine and energy infrastructure inside Russia.
Ratcliffe's role in maintaining this support is credited with briefing Trump on the heavy Russian casualties, a detail that has reportedly impressed the president, according to a Western intelligence official. Ratcliffe attributes his success to the fact that "Trump does not like losers," suggesting that as long as Ukraine appears to be winning, Trump is less likely to cut off support and disengage from the war.
Intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Ukraine had reportedly improved significantly after being temporarily restricted in March 2025, with Democratic Sen. Mark Warner confirming that cooperation had returned to previous levels. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst added that intelligence sharing benefits both nations, as Ukrainian intelligence services hold extensive information about Russia.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.