Kherson ceasefire ends Sunday

Residents in Kherson, Ukraine, prepared for the end of a limited ceasefire on Sunday. The truce between Kyiv and Moscow began early Tuesday. It is set to end Sunday evening. The White House stated that U.S. First Lady Melania Trump helped broker the deal. This marks the most substantial pause in fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion began four and a half years ago.

The temporary halt allowed for a rare joint evacuation operation in the front-line city of Oleshky. That effort concluded Saturday. Approximately 2,000 civilians were in Oleshky when the truce took hold. Residents could choose to move to Ukrainian or Russian controlled territory. They could also stay in the city with replenished food and medical supplies. Authorities did not release exact numbers of those who remained for safety reasons.

Family members waited at the Ukrainian border on Saturday to see their loved ones. Villagers from nearby areas lined the highway to greet the humanitarian convoy. They waved flags and flashlights. Despite the localized quiet, aerial strikes continued elsewhere. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia targeted energy systems ahead of winter.

Zelenskyy posted on social media that hundreds of thousands of families lost power overnight. He said Moscow exploited Ukraine’s shortage of air defenses. “The intensity of the strikes is extremely high, and the Russians are trying to take maximum advantage of the shortage of ballistic missile interceptors,” he wrote on X.

Life continued in Kherson during the quiet. Oleksandr Knyha, head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, told his audience, “Don’t be afraid, keep holding on.” The theater performs every weekend. The company plans to perform next weekend as usual. Local officials warn that Russian forces have added weapons and personnel.

Knyha noted that the theater has worked on the front line for four years. “Whatever happens, the show is not canceled,” he said. The group now performs in a basement and is equipping an additional bomb shelter. About 100 of the 120 staff members work in Kherson. None has evacuated. Costume maker Alla Vasylenko, 58, said the silence still frightens her.

Vasylenko said, “Nothing will change. Everything will go back to how it was before the ceasefire, because believing the Russians means not believing yourself.” She has no plans to leave because she has 10 dogs. “They urge us to leave, but you need somewhere to go and the means to get there,” she said. The trip would cost 30,000 to 50,000 hryvnias. She referred to the Russian-occupied part of the region as the left bank.

Russian drone attacks targeted the Kyiv region for a second day. Regional authorities said a woman was wounded and homes were damaged. Ukraine’s air force reported that Moscow launched 433 drones overnight. It destroyed or suppressed 371 of them. More than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region. Local Gov. Gleb Nikitin said an industrial building in Kstovo sustained damage. Russian media reported a blaze at the Kstovo oil refinery. Zelenskyy said Kyiv struck a missile components factory and air defense facilities in Russia’s Rostov region.