Russian commanders are likely increasingly resorting to conducting high-risk attack helicopter missions as one of the few options available to provide close support for troops in combat.” Those numbers line up with Oryx, an independent researcher that tracks visually confirmed equipment losses of the war.By comparison, Oryx counts just 15 Ukrainian helicopters visually confirmed lost during the conflict, of which eight were Mi-8s.The Latest A group of 30 Democrat lawmakers is retracting a letter they collectively sent to President Joe Biden on Monday asking that his administration reduce military aid for Ukraine with “proactive diplomacy for a realistic ceasefire framework.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington who leads the Progressive Caucus, released a statement on Oct. 25 saying the letter was drafted months ago and published by mistake.“The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians’ just defense of their national sovereignty.President Biden reiterated that notion on Tuesday when asked if Russia was attempting to execute a false flag operation by accusing Ukraine of constructing a dirty bomb when Moscow was instead planning to detonate such a device as a pretext for using nuclear weapons in Ukraine."