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Russian forces can’t perform adequate air support near the front line as their attack helicopters suffer attrition from Ukrainian air defense systems and their artillery ammunition is running out, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Oct. 25. The Russian command is “increasingly resorting to conducting high-risk attack helicopter missions as one of the few options available to provide close support for troops in combat,” reads the report. Russia has lost at least 23 Ka-52 HOKUM attack helicopters since Feb. 24, which constitutes over 25% of their in-service fleet, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
