Kherson Ceasefire Ends: What It Meant for Oleshky and What Comes Next

A localized ceasefire in Ukraine's Kherson region expired Sunday night, ending the longest multi-day truce between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow's full-scale invasion. Al Jazeera reported that neither side accused the other of violations, but there was no sign the pause would be extended.

The truce let besieged civilians leave the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in a rare joint operation between Kyiv and Moscow. Elsewhere in Ukraine, attacks on energy infrastructure continued through the weekend.

What was the Kherson ceasefire?

It was a limited truce covering the front-line town of Oleshky and the surrounding area. According to Al Jazeera, it lasted six days and was reached through mediation by U.S. first lady Melania Trump, with the involvement of Pope Leo XIV. The Associated Press, citing the White House, reported that it began early Tuesday and was expected to end Sunday evening. Al Jazeera said it was set to expire at 10:59 p.m. Ukraine time.

The AP described it as the most significant truce between Kyiv and Moscow since the invasion began 4½ years ago.

Who was evacuated from Oleshky?

An estimated 2,000 civilians were in Oleshky when the truce took hold, both news organizations reported. They were given a choice: leave for Ukrainian-controlled territory, leave for Russian-controlled territory, or stay in the city with restocked food and medical supplies. The AP said exact numbers were not released after the evacuation, to protect those who remained.

The joint evacuation operation ended Saturday, according to the AP. On Sunday, Ukraine's military said it evacuated 167 more people from threatened areas of the Kherson region, including 22 children.

What did each side say?

Trump said on social media that the ceasefire gave residents freedom of movement and access to food, clean water and medicine, and she called for Oleshky to become the starting point for lasting peace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian news agencies, said Moscow viewed the way the operation was conducted positively, as well as the coordination between the two countries' human rights commissioners.

A Ukrainian official told AFP, according to Al Jazeera, that Russia reportedly turned down an offer to extend the ceasefire after Kyiv's Foreign Ministry proposed it. Russia has not been quoted in these reports responding to that claim.

What is life like in Kherson city as the truce ends?

Residents of Kherson city, which Ukraine still controls, remained calm Sunday, the AP reported, even though local officials warn that Russian forces have brought in more weapons and personnel. Some residents expect shelling to intensify.

At the Kherson regional music and drama theater, director Oleksandr Knyha opened a Sunday concert by telling the audience, “Don't be afraid, keep holding on.” The company now performs in a basement, and the AP said none of its Kherson-based staff has evacuated.

Kherson Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents to stay vigilant and to avoid so-called red zones near the Dnipro River, where he said the intensity of Russian strikes remains high.

What is happening elsewhere in the war?

The truce covered only the Oleshky area, and fighting continued elsewhere. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is still targeting Ukraine's energy systems ahead of winter. Overnight attacks on power infrastructure in four regions left hundreds of thousands of households without electricity, he said, and he argued that Russia is trying to exploit a shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.

Ukraine's air force said Russian forces launched 433 drones overnight, of which 371 were destroyed or suppressed. Al Jazeera, citing Ukraine's State Emergency Service, reported that a drone strike on a vocational school in the Vinnytsia region killed three people, including a 13-year-old girl.

In Russia, Nizhny Novgorod Gov. Gleb Nikitin said more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region and that an industrial building in the town of Kstovo was significantly damaged. Russian media reported a fire at the Kstovo oil refinery. Zelenskyy said Ukraine also struck a factory making missile components and air defense facilities in Russia's Rostov region.

Why does it matter?

For civilians in and around Oleshky, the truce opened a rare window to leave, or to receive supplies, without the constant threat of attack. That the two governments cooperated on the evacuation, and that no violations were reported, shows that limited humanitarian arrangements are possible even without a wider peace deal.

Whether that cooperation extends further is unclear. With no extension announced and a Ukrainian official saying Moscow declined one, people who stayed in the area now face the return of shelling, and residents of Kherson city are preparing for a possible escalation as winter approaches.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News, Al Jazeera