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What happened in the war around 25 August 2025?
Summary
A look back at the security picture on 25 August 2025, shaped by a prisoner swap, a major Russian barrage and a drone that landed in Poland.
What did the security picture look like on 25 August 2025? The days leading up to that date combined heavy Russian strikes, a spillover incident in a neighbouring country and one humanitarian exchange.
Strikes on Ukraine
On 19 August, Russian forces launched 270 drones and ten missiles at critical infrastructure in Poltava and Chernihiv Oblasts. Two days later, on 21 August, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a combined overnight attack, launching at least 570 drones and 40 hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles across Ukraine. Two cruise missiles struck an American electronics factory in Mukachevo, Zakarpattia Oblast, and over a dozen people were injured.
A drone in Poland
Shortly after midnight on 20 August, a Russian military drone exploded when it crashed in Osiny, Puławy County, Poland. The incident put the effects of the strikes on Ukraine in a NATO member's territory.
Novorossiysk
On 22 August, a naval drone operated by Ukrainian military intelligence exploded in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, after Russian military divers had seized it. Five of the divers were killed.
A prisoner exchange
The most positive development came on 24 August, the day before the covered date. Russia and Ukraine swapped 146 prisoners of war each after mediation by the United Arab Emirates.
Taken together, the reports from 19 to 24 August show a war in which large-scale missile and drone attacks continued, while a mediated exchange of prisoners still went ahead.
