Fighting returns to Kherson region after longest Ukraine war ceasefire

What the report says

Fighting has resumed in Ukraine’s Kherson region after a six-day truce that briefly stopped hostilities in and around the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. According to BBC World News, the pause was the longest ceasefire seen there since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and allowed hundreds of civilians who had been trapped near the frontline to be evacuated.

Local Ukrainian authorities said strikes restarted on Monday, including an attack on a medical facility in Kherson city. They also reported that a 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were injured when a Russian drone hit the car they were in. Kyiv accused Russian forces of using the humanitarian pause to reinforce positions, move units and bring in ammunition, while the Kremlin suggested Ukrainian forces may also have used the lull to regroup.

The truce was described as having been brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, though the article says details of her role were not explained. It also notes that Russian and Ukrainian human rights ombudsmen traveled into Oleshky during the ceasefire and publicly said no violations were observed. Both sides praised the evacuation effort, and Ukraine said it could support similar pauses elsewhere.

The brief calm appears to have had limited effect beyond the evacuations. BBC World News reports that Russian strikes continued in other parts of Ukraine during the same period, underscoring that the wider war remains active despite the unusual local pause.