Kherson Ceasefire Ends as Evacuations Conclude and Aerial Strikes Resume

The localized ceasefire in Ukraine’s Kherson region ended Sunday evening, concluding the most substantial pause in fighting between Kyiv and Moscow since the full-scale invasion began four and a half years ago. The White House confirmed that First Lady Melania Trump assisted in brokering the agreement, which had been in effect since Tuesday morning. The primary objective of the truce was to facilitate a humanitarian evacuation from the besieged front-line city of Oleshky.

Approximately 2,000 civilians were present in Oleshky when the truce began. Residents were given the option to evacuate to either Ukrainian or Russian controlled territory or to remain in the city with replenished supplies of food and medicine. The joint evacuation operation concluded Saturday. While family members waited at the Ukrainian border to greet arriving relatives, officials did not release the exact number of residents who chose to stay, citing safety concerns for those remaining in the city.

Despite the pause in local shelling, aerial combat continued across the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Sunday that Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter. He reported that hundreds of thousands of families were left without power overnight as Moscow attempted to exploit Ukraine’s shortage of air defense systems. Zelenskyy described the intensity of the strikes as extremely high, noting that Russia was trying to maximize its advantage regarding the scarcity of ballistic missile interceptors.

In Kherson, residents maintained a sense of normalcy on the final day of the truce. Oleksandr Knyha, the head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, opened a Sunday concert by telling the audience to hold on. The theater, which performs in a basement and is preparing an additional bomb shelter, plans to continue its weekend schedule despite warnings that Russian forces have deployed more weapons and personnel to the area. Knyha, who originally commuted to work from the occupied left bank in Oleshky, said the theater has never canceled a performance in four years.

Costume maker Alla Vasylenko, 58, expressed fear regarding the return of hostilities but stated she has no plans to leave the city. She cited the cost of travel, estimated at 30,000 to 50,000 hryvnias, and the logistical challenge of moving her ten dogs. Vasylenko said that until the left bank is liberated, there is no certainty the conflict will end. Her theater colleagues, numbering about 100 out of a staff of 120, also remain in Kherson.

Military exchanges continued beyond the Kherson region. Ukrainian air force officials reported that Russian forces launched 433 drones overnight, with 371 destroyed or suppressed. In response, more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region. Local authorities reported that an industrial building in the town of Kstovo sustained damage, sparking a fire at an oil refinery. Zelenskyy also announced that Kyiv struck a missile component factory and air defense facilities in Russia’s Rostov region.