Ukraine’s brief pause in fighting ends as residents brace for renewed strikes

Ukraine and Russia have ended a short truce in the southeastern region of Kherson, marking the longest period of relative calm since the full-scale invasion began four and a half years ago. The pause in fighting was set to conclude Sunday evening, returning the front lines to active combat.

The White House stated that U.S. First Lady Melania Trump helped broker the agreement. It took effect early Tuesday and allowed for a joint evacuation operation that wrapped up Saturday. Approximately 2,000 civilians were trapped in the front-line city of Oleshky when the ceasefire started. Residents could choose to move to Ukrainian or Russian controlled territory or stay behind with new food and medical supplies. Officials did not release the final count of those who remained in the city.

Family members gathered at the Ukrainian border on Saturday to welcome the humanitarian convoy. Villagers lined the highway, waving flags and flashlights to greet the arriving residents. Despite the local peace, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces continued to target energy systems across the country. He noted that hundreds of thousands of families lost power overnight as Moscow exploited shortages in Ukraine’s air defenses.

Zelenskyy said on social media that the intensity of the strikes was extremely high. He added that Russian forces were trying to take maximum advantage of the shortage of ballistic missile interceptors. In Kherson, residents maintained a calm demeanor despite the looming end of the truce. Oleksandr Knyha, head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, told his audience not to be afraid and to keep holding on.

The theater continues to perform on its regular schedule, with plans to stage shows next weekend even as Russian forces bring in more weapons and personnel. Knyha said the company has worked on the front line for four years and has never canceled a performance. About 100 of the theater’s 120 staff members remain in Kherson, working from a basement and an additional bomb shelter. Costume maker Alla Vasylenko, 58, said the silence of the truce still frightened her. She has no plans to leave because she has ten dogs and lacks the 30,000 to 50,000 hryvnias needed for travel.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Moscow launched 433 drones overnight, destroying or suppressing 371 of them. Russian drone attacks targeted the Kyiv region for a second day, wounding a woman and damaging homes and energy infrastructure. Local authorities in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region said more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the area. An industrial building in the town of Kstovo sustained significant damage, and later reports indicated that the attack sparked a fire at the local oil refinery. Zelenskyy said Kyiv also struck a factory producing missile components and air defense facilities in Russia’s southern Rostov region.