Fighting resumes in Kherson after six-day ceasefire
A six-day truce in the Kherson region ended on Monday, with renewed Russian strikes hitting a hospital and civilian vehicle, while both sides blamed the pause for military repositioning.
Combat operations have restarted in Ukraine's Kherson region after a six-day ceasefire, the longest since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The pause allowed the evacuation of hundreds of residents from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky and surrounding areas.
Local authorities reported that Russian forces struck a medical facility in Kherson city centre on Monday morning and that a 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were injured when a Russian drone hit their car.
"The enemy used the humanitarian pause to set up their positions," said Ukraine's General Staff, adding that Russian units had rotated, anti-drone equipment had been deployed on roads, and ammunition deliveries had increased.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed the assessment, stating it was "reasonable to assume that the Ukrainian army also used this period for the necessary regrouping."
The ceasefire was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, a fact highlighted by both Kyiv and Moscow, though details of her involvement were not disclosed. Russian human-rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova and Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets jointly oversaw the truce, visited Oleshky together, and publicly thanked each other, noting no violations had been observed.
Both officials called for similar initiatives elsewhere, and Ukrainian officials said they were prepared to observe comparable ceasefires nationally. However, the Kremlin dismissed the prospect of broader application, describing Oleshky as "an isolated case" that would not affect the settlement process and reaffirming that no similar plans existed.
While the ceasefire temporarily halted fighting in Kherson, Russian air strikes continued in other parts of Ukraine, causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. Analysts noted that the truce may have been motivated by political considerations, including the desire of US President Donald Trump to showcase a foreign-policy success ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections.
The ceasefire enabled the evacuation of hundreds of Oleshky residents, many of whom were reunited with relatives in northern Ukraine. Those who remained behind will receive monthly humanitarian aid deliveries, according to Lantratova, who attributed the arrangement to Melania Trump's mediation.
Despite the humanitarian outcome, both sides appear to be using the pause to reposition forces, suggesting that the Oleshky ceasefire is unlikely to become a model for lasting respite.