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The night of August 25 to 26, witnessed a significant and nearly equal exchange of aerial attacks between Russian and Ukrainian forces, with both sides deploying dozens of unmanned aircraft. Russian air defenses reported intercepting 43 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over its territory from midnight to 6:10 AM, a figure that closely mirrored the 59 Geranium/Gerbera UAVs launched by Russia against Ukraine.
Ukrainian sources reported successful strikes on Crimea. According to unconfirmed reports, Ukrainian UAVs struck railway infrastructure in the town of Dzhankoi in the northern part of the peninsula and an energy substation in Krasnogvardeyskoye. The local sources are yet to confirm any damage.
Another group of drones again targeted the Leningrad region. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 6 UAVs were intercepted there by Russian air defense. No damage was reported. Earlier, on August 24, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched the daylight raid on St. Petersburg and the region. For the first time since October 24, 2024, Ukrainian drones flew to Russia’s northern capital. The attack resulted in damage to the port infrastructure. LINK
Meanwhile, Russian forces conducted a series of combined strikes on critical targets in eastern and central Ukraine.
Russian strikes were quite limited and again concentrated in frontline regions, with Ukraine’s Energy Ministry reporting attacks on gas transportation infrastructure. Over the past day, Russian Aerospace Forces and missile troops had targeted areas across Donbass, Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Chernihiv regions using a full spectrum of munitions.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a strike on an agricultural enterprise in Petrovka used as a base by the 44th Mechanized Brigade destroyed fuel trucks and vehicles, resulting in personnel losses. In the DPR, strikes in Belozerske and Rayske targeted command points and a warehouse, destroying armored vehicles, ammunition, and causing further casualties.
In the Sumy region, energy infrastructure was again a key focus, with a substation hit in Vovna, knocking out transformers and cutting power to thousands, including a critical railway hub. Additional strikes in Verkhnya Syrovatka and Putivl destroyed military trucks and construction equipment, while in the city of Sumy, a design bureau working on armored vehicle modernization and warehouses storing UAV components were severely damaged.
The recent reduction in the intensity of Russian air strikes may be explained by the ongoing high-level diplomatic contacts between Moscow and Washington. Reports indicate that intense peace negotiations are still ongoing between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, who is said to have admonished the Russian leader for each major strike on Ukrainian territory. The U.S. President confirmed he has been communicating regularly with Putin, describing each conversation as “good” but expressing frustration that they are often followed by strikes in Ukraine.
putler gave syria for parts of ukraine.i hope that russia will be left without the occupied parts of ukraine and without karelia due to the betrayal of syria. i also hope that the day will come when japan and georgia liberate the territory stolen by russia.