Fighting has resumed in Ukraine's Kherson region after a six-day truce, which was the longest since the start of Russia's invasion in 2022. The ceasefire allowed hundreds of people to be evacuated from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky.
What happened
The truce, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, enabled the evacuation of hundreds of people trapped in Oleshky and its surroundings. However, Ukraine accused Russian forces of using the humanitarian ceasefire to strengthen their military positions, rotate units, and deliver ammunition. Local authorities confirmed that strikes had resumed, with a medical facility in Kherson city centre being hit, and two civilians injured in a Russian drone attack.
The Kremlin acknowledged that both sides had used the ceasefire to regroup, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating it was "reasonable to assume" that Ukraine had also used the period for necessary regrouping. Despite the temporary ceasefire, the war's trajectory remains unchanged, with Russia's air strikes continuing to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure elsewhere in Ukraine.
The decision to observe the ceasefire in Oleshky was seen as a notable exception, potentially linked to Melania Trump's involvement. The truce's observance may have been motivated by political calculation, with both the US and Ukraine seeking to present it as a foreign policy achievement. However, the ceasefire did result in hundreds of civilians escaping, with emotional reunions taking place in northern Ukraine.
