Kherson residents prepare for end of limited truce as fighting resumes

U.S. first lady Melania Trump reportedly played a role in brokering the limited agreement. The pause in hostilities allowed for a joint evacuation operation from the frontline city of Oleshky, which concluded Saturday. Approximately 2,000 civilians were given the option to evacuate to either Ukrainian or Russian-controlled territory, or to remain in the city with supplies. Exact numbers of those who stayed were not released for safety reasons.

At the Ukrainian border, families reunited with loved ones who evacuated, while nearby villages welcomed the humanitarian convoy with flags and flashlights.

Despite the ceasefire, both sides have continued to launch aerial strikes in other areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia is targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in anticipation of winter, leaving hundreds of thousands of families without power overnight due to a shortage of air defenses. “The intensity of the strikes is extremely high, and the Russians are trying to take maximum advantage of the shortage of ballistic missile interceptors,” Zelenskyy stated on X.

In Kherson, residents are preparing for the return of hostilities, though a sense of calm prevailed Sunday. Oleksandr Knyha, head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, addressed the audience before a performance, urging them to “Don’t be afraid, keep holding on.” The theater, which has maintained its Saturday and Sunday performances throughout the conflict, is preparing for next week’s show despite warnings of intensified shelling and increased Russian troop presence.

The theater now operates from a basement and is expanding its bomb shelter capacity. Around 100 of the 120 staff members remain in Kherson, and none have evacuated. Costume maker Alla Vasylenko, 58, expressed skepticism about the truce’s impact. “Nothing will change. Everything will go back to how it was before the ceasefire, because believing the Russians means not believing yourself,” she said. She plans to stay, citing the difficulty of relocating her ten dogs.

Many residents remain in Kherson due to a belief that liberation from Russian occupation is possible. Knyha, originally from the occupied left bank, hopes to return home. The theater’s concert on Sunday featured a “musical map of Ukraine,” spanning from Crimea to the Carpathian mountains, intended to “unite people and give them hope.”

Drone attacks continued Sunday, with Russian drones striking the Kyiv region, wounding a woman and damaging infrastructure. Ukraine’s air force reported destroying or suppressing 371 out of 433 drones launched overnight. Over 100 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, causing damage to an industrial building and sparking a fire at a Kstovo oil refinery. Zelenskyy confirmed Ukrainian strikes on a missile component factory and air defense facilities in Russia’s Rostov region.

Associated Press writer Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed.