Kherson residents brace for resumed shelling as truce expires

An estimated 2,000 civilians remained in the front-line city of Oleshky when a localized ceasefire took hold early Tuesday. The truce, which the White House said was brokered with the help of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, is set to expire Sunday evening. The pause in hostilities marks the most substantial break in fighting between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s full-scale invasion began four and a half years ago.

During the truce, residents of Oleshky were offered a choice: evacuate to territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia, or stay in the city with replenished food and medical supplies. A joint evacuation operation concluded Saturday, but officials did not release exact figures for those who remained to protect the privacy of those staying behind.

At the Ukrainian border on Saturday, family members gathered to greet the humanitarian convoy. Residents from nearby villages lined the highway, waving flags and flashlights as vehicles arrived. Despite the localized calm, fighting continued elsewhere in the region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Sunday that Russia is targeting Ukraine’s energy systems ahead of winter. He said hundreds of thousands of families lost power overnight as Moscow exploited a shortage in Ukraine’s air defenses. Zelenskyy described the intensity of the strikes as extremely high, noting that Russian forces are trying to maximize their advantage with ballistic missile interceptors.

In Kherson, life proceeded with a sense of cautious normalcy on the final day of the truce. Oleksandr Knyha, head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, told an audience at a Sunday concert, “Don’t be afraid, keep holding on.” The theater performs every weekend and plans to continue next week, even as local officials warn that Russian forces have moved additional weapons and personnel into the area.

Knyha, who is from the occupied city of Oleshky, said the theater has never canceled a performance during the war. The company now performs in a basement and is equipping an additional bomb shelter. About 100 of the theater’s 120 staff members work in Kherson, and none have evacuated. Knyha said his hope of returning home to the left bank is a key reason he remains.

Costume maker Alla Vasylenko, 58, expressed skepticism about the truce’s lasting impact. She said the silence of the brief pause still frightens her because she believes the situation will revert to its pre-ceasefire state. Vasylenko said she has no plans to leave because she has 10 dogs and lacks the means to transport them. She estimated the trip would cost between 30,000 and 50,000 hryvnias.

Vasylenko noted that until the left bank is liberated, there is no certainty the war will end. Knyha’s theater staged a concert on Sunday built around a “musical map of Ukraine,” featuring songs from Crimea to the Carpathian mountains. He said the goal is to unite people and provide hope.

Russian drone attacks continued to target Ukraine’s Kyiv region for a second consecutive day. Regional authorities reported that a woman was wounded and that homes, energy infrastructure, and a retail establishment were damaged. The Ukrainian air force said Moscow attacked with 433 drones overnight, destroying or suppressing 371 of them.

Ukrainian drones were also active over Russia. More than 100 were shot down over the Nizhny Novgorod region, according to local Gov. Gleb Nikitin. He said an industrial building in the town of Kstovo sustained damage, and Russian media later reported a fire at the Kstovo oil refinery. Zelenskyy said Kyiv also struck a factory making missile components and air defense facilities in Russia’s Rostov region.

The final day of the ceasefire ended with residents in Kherson preparing for the return of shelling. Theater staff and civilians alike cited a lack of certainty about the future of the occupied territory. The evacuation of Oleshky remains incomplete, with those who stayed relying on the supplies delivered during the truce.