Kherson Truce Ends as Russia and Ukraine Resume Attacks

Residents of Ukraine's southern Kherson region face renewed security risks after a six-day localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine expired on Sunday night, November 1, 2026. The temporary agreement enabled civilian evacuations from Russian-occupied Oleshky but ended without an extension despite diplomatic efforts.

The truce covered Oleshky and surrounding areas along the front line. Neither side reported violations during the six-day arrangement, which was established through mediation involving United States First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV.

Ukraine's General Staff reported that military-civilian cooperation units evacuated another 167 people from threatened areas on Sunday. The group included 22 children and 21 people with limited mobility who required special assistance.

"Units of civil-military cooperation of the 'South' group of forces, in cooperation with representatives of local authorities, evacuated 167 civilians to safer points in the Kherson region," Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement published on Telegram.

Approximately 2,000 civilians were in Oleshky when the temporary ceasefire began. Residents could choose evacuation to Ukrainian-controlled territory, relocation to Russian-occupied territory, or remaining in the city with additional food and medical supplies.

Melania Trump described the humanitarian benefits of the arrangement in a social media statement, highlighting improved access to essential supplies and freedom of movement for residents.

"The ceasefire across Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region has 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," Melania Trump said. "Let Oleshky become the starting point for lasting peace."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed Moscow's positive assessment of the evacuation operation, according to Russian news agencies. He also praised coordination between the two countries' human rights commissioners.

However, a Ukrainian official told AFP that Russia had refused Kyiv's proposal to extend the ceasefire after Ukraine's Foreign Ministry made the request.

As the agreement approached its expiration, Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin warned residents against entering dangerous areas near the Dnipro River. He said Russian attacks remained particularly intense in settlements close to the waterway.

"I also strongly urge you not to visit the so-called 'red zones' – areas and settlements near the Dnipro [River]," Prokudin wrote on Telegram. "The intensity of Russian strikes there remains high, and the threat to life is extremely high."

In Kherson city, which remains under Ukrainian control, residents continued their daily activities despite anticipating the return of fighting. Oleksandr Knyha, head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, addressed audiences during a concert.

"Don't be afraid, keep holding on," Knyha told the audience as he opened the performance.

Knyha originally comes from Oleshky and previously traveled between the occupied town and Kherson for work. He said the possibility of returning home remained an important reason for staying in the region.

"That's also what keeps me here," Knyha told the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continued ahead of winter. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said overnight strikes against facilities in four Ukrainian regions left hundreds of thousands of households without electricity.

Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 433 drones overnight on Sunday, with 371 destroyed or suppressed. In the Kyiv region, a second consecutive day of drone attacks injured a woman and damaged residential buildings, energy infrastructure and a retail establishment, according to regional authorities.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that another Russian drone strike hit the grounds of a vocational school in Vinnytsia, killing three people, including a 13-year-old girl, and injuring four others.

Russia also reported damage following Ukrainian drone operations. Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin said more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region, east of Moscow.

Russian media reported a fire at the Kstovo oil refinery following the attacks. Images published by local outlets showed thick black smoke rising above the industrial area.

Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces had targeted a factory producing missile components and air defense facilities in Russia's southern Rostov region.

"We are justly defending ourselves against Russian aggression and doing everything to reduce Russia's capability to continue it," Zelenskyy said.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Russian forces have occupied most of Donetsk and Luhansk, along with large portions of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.