Ukraine’s Kherson Ceasefire Nears End After Rare Humanitarian Evacuation as Russian Attacks Continue Elsewhere

Civilians in Ukraine’s southeastern Kherson region prepared on Sunday for the end of a temporary ceasefire that offered a rare pause in fighting between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly five years ago.

The White House said US First Lady Melania Trump helped broker the limited truce, which began early Tuesday and was scheduled to end on Sunday evening. The agreement enabled the evacuation of residents trapped in the front-line city of Oleshky through a rare joint humanitarian operation completed on Saturday.

“The ceasefire across Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region has provided residents with the freedom to move, access to food, clean water, medicine, plus a renewed sense of dignity without the constant threat of attack,” Trump said in a social media post.

She added: “Let Oleshky become the starting point for lasting peace.”

Around 2,000 civilians were estimated to be in Oleshky when the ceasefire began. Residents were given the option of evacuating to Ukrainian- or Russian-controlled territory or remaining in the city with replenished food and medical supplies. Authorities withheld the final evacuation figures for security reasons.

At the Ukrainian border on Saturday, relatives gathered to welcome returning family members, while residents of nearby villages lined the highway with flags and flashlights as the humanitarian convoy passed.

Despite the localized truce, Russian and Ukrainian forces continued aerial attacks elsewhere.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Russian forces were continuing to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter, leaving hundreds of thousands of families without electricity overnight.

He accused Moscow of exploiting Ukraine’s shortage of air-defence systems, particularly ballistic missile interceptors, to intensify its attacks.

Final Day of Ceasefire Offers Brief Respite to Kherson Residents

Residents of the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kherson remained relatively calm on Sunday, even as they anticipated the return of hostilities after the ceasefire expired.

At a concert, Oleksandr Knyha, head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, encouraged the audience to remain strong.

“Don’t be afraid, keep holding on,” he said.

The theatre continued its regular weekend performances throughout the ceasefire and plans to maintain its schedule even after fighting resumes.

Knyha said local officials had warned that Russian forces were bringing additional weapons and personnel into the area, raising concerns that shelling could intensify.

“Of course, we want peace to finally come,” he said, adding that the theatre had continued operating throughout four years of frontline conditions.

“Whatever happens, the show is not canceled,” he said.

The theatre now stages performances in a basement and is preparing an additional bomb shelter. Around 100 of its 120 employees continue working in Kherson, with none having evacuated.

Residents Fear Return of Russian Attacks

For some residents, the temporary silence brought little reassurance.

Alla Vasylenko, a 58-year-old costume maker at the theatre, said she remained sceptical about the ceasefire and expected conditions to return to normal once it ended.

She has no intention of leaving Kherson, partly because she cares for 10 dogs.

Although authorities have encouraged residents to evacuate, Vasylenko said relocation would be financially difficult. She estimated that the journey alone could cost between 30,000 and 50,000 Ukrainian hryvnias, equivalent to approximately $650-$1,080.

“Until we liberate the left bank, we have no certainty this will end,” she said, referring to the Russian-occupied part of Kherson region.

Knyha, who originally comes from Oleshky on the occupied eastern bank of the Dnipro River, also hopes to return home one day. Before the occupation, he regularly travelled from Oleshky to work in Kherson.

He said the possibility of returning home was one of the reasons he continued working in the city.

On the final day of the truce, the theatre organised a concert featuring a musical journey across Ukraine, with songs representing regions stretching from Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, to the Carpathian Mountains in the west.

Knyha said bringing people together and giving them hope remained an important part of the theatre’s mission.

Russian Drone Attack Kills Three in Vinnytsia

Elsewhere in Ukraine, a Russian drone strike killed three people, including a 13-year-old girl, in the Vinnytsia region, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

The drone struck the grounds of a vocational school, injuring four other people, including two five-year-old girls and a 16-year-old boy.

Russian drone attacks also targeted the Kyiv region for a second consecutive day, injuring a woman and damaging residential buildings, energy infrastructure and a retail establishment, regional authorities said.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian forces launched 433 drones overnight on Sunday, of which 371 were destroyed or suppressed.

Ukraine and Russia Exchange Drone Strikes

Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported that more than 100 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over the Nizhny Novgorod region, east of Moscow.

Regional Governor Gleb Nikitin said an industrial building in the town of Kstovo had suffered significant damage, without providing further details.

Russian media outlets subsequently reported that the attack triggered a fire at the Kstovo oil refinery, publishing images showing thick black smoke rising above the area.

Local authorities later introduced restrictions on petrol sales after queues formed at filling stations. Diesel supplies were reportedly unaffected.

Zelensky also confirmed that Ukrainian forces had struck a factory involved in manufacturing missile components, along with air-defence facilities in Russia’s southern Rostov region.

“We are justly defending ourselves against Russian aggression and doing everything to reduce Russia’s capability to continue it,” he said.

The developments highlight the limited impact of the localized Kherson ceasefire on the wider conflict, as both sides continue exchanging drone and missile attacks despite intermittent humanitarian and diplomatic efforts.