Ukraine's Kherson ceasefire ends after joint evacuation

The temporary pause in fighting in southeastern Ukraine expired on Sunday evening.

The localized ceasefire, which began Tuesday, marked the longest break in hostilities since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in early 2022. The White House stated that U.S. First Lady Melania Trump helped negotiate the agreement. The truce allowed for the evacuation of the front-line city of Oleshky, a process that concluded on Saturday. About 2,000 civilians were in the city when the pause took effect. Residents chose between moving to Ukrainian or Russian controlled territory or staying in the city with new supplies of food and medical care. Officials did not release the final count of those who remained to protect the privacy of those who stayed.

At the Ukrainian border on Saturday, relatives gathered to meet the humanitarian convoy. People from nearby villages lined the highway, waving flags and flashlights to greet the arriving residents. Despite the quiet in Kherson, the wider conflict remained active. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces continued to target the country's energy grid ahead of the winter season. He said hundreds of thousands of families lost power overnight. Zelenskyy noted that Russia was trying to exploit a shortage in Ukrainian ballistic missile interceptors. He described the intensity of the strikes as extremely high.

In Kherson, residents maintained a routine despite the impending end of the silence. Oleksandr Knyha, who leads the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, told his audience to keep holding on before a Sunday concert. The theater performs on weekends and plans to continue its schedule next week, even though local officials warn that Russian forces have moved additional weapons and personnel into the area. Knyha said the company has operated on the front line for four years and has never canceled a show. The theater now performs in a basement while it builds an additional bomb shelter. About 100 of the theater's 120 staff members remain in Kherson, and none have evacuated.

Alla Vasylenko, a 58-year-old costume maker, said the brief silence during the truce still frightened her. She believes the situation will return to its previous state because she does not trust the Russian side. Vasylenko has no plans to leave because she cares for 10 dogs. She said the cost of travel to a safer location would be 30,000 to 50,000 hryvnias, a large sum for her. She cited the need to stay until the left bank of the region is liberated.

Knyha, who is originally from the occupied town of Oleshky, commuted to his job in Kherson before the war. He said his hope of returning to his hometown is a major reason he remains in the city. On the final day of the ceasefire, the theater presented a concert featuring a musical map of Ukraine. The set list included songs from Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the Carpathian mountains. Knyha said the goal of the performance was to unite the audience and provide hope.

Aerial combat continued in other parts of the region. Russian drones targeted the Kyiv area for a second day, wounding a woman and damaging homes, energy infrastructure, and a retail store. The Ukrainian air force reported that Moscow launched 433 drones overnight, and Ukrainian forces destroyed or suppressed 371 of them. In Russia, local authorities said more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Nizhny Novgorod region. Governor Gleb Nikitin stated that an industrial building in the town of Kstovo sustained significant damage. Russian media later reported that the strike started a fire at the Kstovo oil refinery, with images showing black smoke rising from the site. Zelenskyy said Kyiv also hit a factory that produces missile components and air defense facilities in Russia's Rostov region. He wrote that Ukraine is defending itself and working to reduce Russia's ability to continue the war.