Fighting has resumed in Ukraine’s Kherson region after a six-day ceasefire brought an unprecedented period of calm to the frontline area since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The truce enabled hundreds of people to leave the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky and nearby areas. Evacuees arriving in northern Ukraine described years of hunger and hardship in a heavily damaged town, where many were reunited with relatives they had not seen for years. Residents who remained were promised monthly humanitarian aid deliveries.
Local authorities said strikes resumed on Monday, reporting that Moscow had attacked a medical facility in central Kherson. They also said a Russian drone hit a vehicle, injuring a 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man.
Ukraine accused Russian forces of using the humanitarian pause to reinforce their positions, rotate units and deliver ammunition. The Ukrainian General Staff said it had observed expanded anti-drone equipment along roads, along with troop rotations and resupply activity.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was reasonable to assume that Ukrainian forces had also used the pause to regroup, describing such activity as standard practice during ceasefires.
The truce was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump. Kyiv and Moscow both thanked her, although no details of her involvement were made public. Russia’s human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova and Ukraine’s counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets, helped oversee the pause and travelled to Oleshky, where they were filmed speaking with residents together.
Lantratova and Lubinets called for similar initiatives elsewhere, while Ukraine said it would be willing to observe comparable ceasefires across the country. The Kremlin, however, described the Oleshky arrangement as an isolated case and said it would not affect the stalled peace process. Peskov said there were no similar plans or initiatives.
The pause in Kherson stood out because Russian air strikes continued elsewhere in Ukraine, killing civilians and damaging critical infrastructure. Its implementation appeared to reflect political as well as humanitarian considerations, including the importance of relations between Moscow, Washington and the US president.
Ukraine also had strong reasons to comply. Despite tensions with Washington, Kyiv remains reliant on US intelligence and Patriot air-defence systems as it prepares for another difficult winter of fighting.
The ceasefire ended as Ukrainian drones struck energy facilities in four Russian regions. In Samara, residents reported explosions and black smoke after an oil refinery was hit for the fifth time in a month.
Although the truce allowed hundreds of civilians to escape Oleshky, troop movements and resupply operations on both sides suggest that it is unlikely to become a model for a lasting reduction in hostilities.
Sources: BBC News World.