Fighting has resumed in Ukraine's Kherson region after a six-day truce brought quiet to the front line for the first time in years.
The ceasefire was the longest observed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Local authorities confirmed on Monday morning that strikes had resumed, saying Russian forces had hit a medical facility in Kherson city centre. A 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were also injured when a Russian drone struck the car they were travelling in.
The truce had allowed hundreds of people trapped in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky and its surroundings to be evacuated. Emotional scenes were reported when hundreds of residents arrived in northern Ukraine on Saturday, with many met by tearful relatives they had not seen in years. Evacuees told journalists of years of hunger and hardship in a destroyed town.
Ukraine accused Russian forces of using the humanitarian pause to strengthen their military positions. "The enemy used the humanitarian pause to set up their positions," Ukraine's General Staff said, adding that they had recorded the rotation of Russian units, the expansion of anti-drone equipment on roads, and the delivery of ammunition.
The Kremlin appeared to partially corroborate the claim. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "reasonable to assume that the Ukrainian army also used this period for the necessary regrouping," adding: "It is a completely standard practice in such situations."
The ceasefire had been brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump. Both Kyiv and Moscow thanked her repeatedly, though no details of her direct involvement were made public.
An unusual show of cooperation emerged between Russia's human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets. The pair oversaw the ceasefire, travelled together into Oleshky, and were filmed speaking to residents. They publicly thanked each other and repeatedly noted that no violations of the truce had been observed.
Both Lantratova and Lubinets called for the initiative to be repeated elsewhere. Ukraine said it would be prepared to observe similar ceasefires at a national level. However, the Kremlin swiftly dismissed the prospect, describing Oleshky as "an isolated case" that would not affect the broader peace process. "There are no similar plans or initiatives," Peskov reiterated on Monday.
While the guns fell silent in Kherson region last week, Russian air strikes continued elsewhere in Ukraine, killing civilians and destroying infrastructure. The ceasefire in and around Oleshky was described as a notable exception.
Some analysts suggested the truce's observance was linked, at least in part, to Melania Trump's reported involvement. By violating the ceasefire, Moscow would have risked damaging its relationship with her husband, US President Donald Trump. Commentators also noted that Trump himself may have had an interest in presenting the Oleshky ceasefire as a foreign policy achievement ahead of US midterm elections on Tuesday.
"I totally get why our official representatives need to 'play along' with the US first lady on Oleshky," said Artyom Sheynin, a prominent figure on Russian state television. "I understand why it's so important to create a 'success story' ahead of the elections for the US president, whose wife 'achieved a ceasefire' in Oleshky."
Ukraine, too, had its own reasons to cooperate fully. Although relations with Washington are often strained, Kyiv continues to rely heavily on US intelligence and US-made Patriot air defence missiles to counter Russian aerial attacks. Continued American support is considered essential ahead of another difficult winter of war.
Lantratova said that residents who chose to remain in Oleshky would receive monthly humanitarian aid deliveries, a decision she also attributed to Melania Trump's involvement.
