The six-day ceasefire in Ukraine’s eastern Kherson region concluded on Sunday night without any reported violations, but also without an extension. The truce had enabled a rare joint evacuation operation between Kyiv and Moscow, allowing hundreds of residents from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky to leave the area safely.
Despite the ceasefire’s end, Russian strikes continued in other parts of Ukraine, causing widespread power outages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that hundreds of thousands of households lost electricity due to these attacks. Meanwhile, Russian authorities confirmed significant damage to an industrial facility in the Nizhny Novgorod region following Ukrainian drone strikes.
Evacuations and ceasefire details in Kherson region
The temporary truce, which was limited to Oleshky and its surroundings, was brokered with mediation efforts involving United States First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV. It expired at 10:59pm Ukraine time (20:59 GMT) on Sunday. During the ceasefire, approximately 2,000 civilians remained in Oleshky and were given options to evacuate either to Kyiv-controlled areas, Russian-occupied territory, or to stay in the city with access to replenished supplies.
Also read: Oleshky evacuation under way as Kherson ceasefire opens road
Ukraine’s military reported evacuating 167 additional civilians from threatened zones in southern Kherson on Sunday, including 22 children and 21 individuals requiring special assistance. The General Staff of Ukraine stated on Telegram that units from the ‘South’ group of forces, in cooperation with local authorities, facilitated the evacuations to safer locations.
Melania Trump highlighted the humanitarian impact of the ceasefire, saying it “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.” She expressed hope that “Oleshky become the starting point for lasting peace.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised the operation and the coordination between Russian and Ukrainian human rights commissioners.
However, a Ukrainian official told AFP that Russia declined Kyiv’s proposal to extend the ceasefire after the Foreign Ministry made the offer.
Warnings and ongoing conflict in Kherson and beyond
Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents to remain cautious as the ceasefire ended, warning against entering so-called “red zones” near the Dnipro River due to continued high-intensity Russian strikes and life-threatening conditions. Despite the looming return of hostilities, residents in Kherson city remained calm. Oleksandr Knyha, head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater and a native of Oleshky, encouraged resilience during a concert, saying, “Don’t be afraid, keep holding on.” He expressed hope of returning to his hometown.
Outside the Kherson region, Russian and Ukrainian forces continued air strikes. Zelenskyy stated that Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter, causing power outages across four regions. A Russian drone strike killed three people, including a 13-year-old girl, at a vocational school in Vinnytsia, with four others wounded, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
Russian drone attacks on the Kyiv region for a second day in a row injured a woman and damaged homes, energy facilities, and a retail outlet, regional authorities reported. Ukraine’s Air Force noted that Moscow launched 433 drones overnight, destroying or suppressing 371 of them.
In Russia, Governor Gleb Nikitin said over 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Nizhny Novgorod region, where a drone attack caused a fire at the Kstovo oil refinery. Russian media shared images of thick black smoke rising from the site. Zelenskyy also reported strikes on a missile components factory and air defense installations in Russia’s Rostov region, emphasizing Ukraine’s efforts to reduce Russia’s capacity to continue its aggression.
