Ukraine's Kherson braces for war's return as truce ends

Residents in Kherson, Ukraine, prepared for the resumption of hostilities on Sunday as a localized ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow was set to expire. This brief pause in fighting served as the most substantial truce since Russia launched its full-scale invasion four and a half years ago. The White House indicated that U.S. First Lady Melania Trump assisted in brokering the arrangement, which began on Tuesday and was scheduled to conclude on Sunday evening.

The temporary halt in combat enabled a rare joint evacuation effort for residents of the front-line city of Oleshky. Approximately 2,000 civilians were present in the city when the truce took effect. They were given the option to move to Ukrainian or Russian controlled territory or remain in Oleshky with new supplies of food and medicine. Officials did not disclose the exact number of people who stayed for safety reasons, though the evacuation operation finished on Saturday.

At the Ukrainian border, family members gathered to see relatives arriving in a humanitarian convoy. Villagers lined the highway, waving flags and flashlights to greet the vehicles. Despite the local quiet, aerial attacks continued in other parts of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces are targeting energy systems ahead of winter, leaving hundreds of thousands of families without power.

In a social media post, Zelenskyy described the intensity of the strikes as extremely high, noting that Moscow is attempting to exploit Ukraine's shortage of ballistic missile interceptors. Meanwhile, in Kherson, the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater held a concert on Sunday. The company performs every weekend and planned to continue doing so the following week, despite local officials warning that Russian forces have deployed additional weapons and personnel.

Oleksandr Knyha, the head of the theater, told the audience to keep holding on. He noted that the theater has worked on the front line for four years and has never canceled a performance. The group now performs in a basement and is preparing an additional bomb shelter. About 100 of the 120 staff members remain in Kherson, and none have evacuated.

Costume maker Alla Vasylenko, 58, expressed fear that the silence of the truce was temporary. She said she has no plans to leave because she has 10 dogs and lacks the means to travel. The trip alone would cost between 30,000 and 50,000 hryvnias. Knyha, who is from the occupied left bank of the region, said the belief that the area will be liberated is a primary reason he stays.

Russian drone attacks targeted the Kyiv region for a second consecutive day, wounding a woman and damaging homes and energy infrastructure. Ukraine's air force reported that Moscow launched 433 drones overnight, of which 371 were destroyed or suppressed. In Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down. Local authorities reported that an industrial building in Kstovo sustained damage, and Russian media later reported a fire at the local oil refinery.

Zelenskyy said that Kyiv struck a factory in Russia's southern Rostov region that manufactures missile components. He wrote that Ukraine is defending itself against Russian aggression and working to reduce Russia's capability to continue the conflict. The theater in Kherson staged a concert featuring songs from across Ukraine, including Crimea and the Carpathian mountains, as a way to unite people.