'The city is alive': A brief peace in Kherson, but residents fear what comes next

What the report says

A temporary ceasefire has brought an unusual period of calm to Kherson, the Ukrainian city on the front line of Russia’s war, according to BBC World News. The pause in hostilities, which is due to end on Sunday, has given residents a rare chance to move around more freely after years of drone and artillery attacks. People were seen walking in the streets, visiting shops and cafes, and even returning to parts of the city they had largely avoided because of the danger.

BBC reported that the truce is linked to efforts involving U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, who helped broker safe passage from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky on the opposite side of the Dnipro River. Russian forces have reportedly been clearing roads of mines ahead of a planned evacuation of civilians from Oleshky. At the same time, local voices quoted by the broadcaster said there are worries that the lull could be used to reinforce Russian positions before fighting resumes.

Residents described the silence as both welcome and hard to trust, given earlier ceasefires that did not hold. The city’s population has sharply fallen since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and many services have long operated underground because of the risk. For now, though, locals say the pause has let them experience something closer to ordinary life, even if only briefly, before the conflict is expected to intensify again.