During a brief pause in fighting in southern Ukraine, hundreds of civilians escaped a Russian-occupied town where residents had been cut off from food and medical supplies for months. Across the Dnipro River, residents in the frontline city of Kherson stepped outdoors without body armor, enjoying a rare weekend of calm before the truce expired.
The temporary ceasefire, brokered by Pope Leo and Melania Trump, was arranged to assist the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. Russian forces had mined the territory surrounding the town, preventing supply trucks from delivering food and medicine for several months and forcing some isolated residents to eat boiled weeds to survive. The multi-day pause allowed hundreds of people to evacuate safely, with many traveling to northern Ukraine to reunite with family members.
Across the river in Ukrainian-controlled Kherson, the lull in combat offered a dramatic respite from persistent danger. Russian troops stationed roughly a mile away have routinely targeted civilians with guided aerial bombs and explosive first-person-view (FPV) drones. While streets and buildings are typically draped with heavy protective netting and residents rarely venture out without drone detectors, the ceasefire brought scenes of normal life back to the city. Locals strolled with their children, visited cafes, and shopped in the sunshine. Olena Soboleva, 21, who met a friend at a busy cafe, captured the relief: "There is no drones. There is no explosions. It is like a feeling that no one wants to kill you."
The truce concluded on Sunday night after several days without any reported violations, but local residents remained uneasy. At a Kherson bus stop, oncology nurse Olena Yehorova listened to a street musician while constantly watching the sky for incoming drones, admitting she could not trust Russian forces and was preparing for renewed attacks as wartime conditions returned.