Kherson braces for return of war as localised Russia-Ukraine truce ends

As the humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine's Kherson region comes to an end this Sunday night, Russia has been targeting energy infrastructure across four regions, leaving hundreds of thousands without power, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. One strike, occurring overnight on Saturday into Sunday, resulted in the death of a 13-year-old girl in the Vinnytsia region, as reported by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

In response, Ukraine launched attacks on a significant missile fuel producer in Russia's Rostov region, causing a fire and damaging four production facilities.

Repair efforts to restore power in Ukraine are ongoing, with most customers in the Dnipropetrovsk region regaining their electricity by early evening. However, over 60,000 people remain without power. Due to repeated attacks on energy infrastructure, emergency power cuts have been implemented nationwide, including in the capital city of Kyiv.

Zelensky emphasized that the intensity of Russian strikes has been extremely high over the past week, as Russia seeks to capitalize on the scarcity of ballistic missile interceptors. He urged the US, Europe, and other partners for continued support, specifically requesting Patriot missiles, the most effective means of neutralizing Russia's lethal ballistic missiles. Despite receiving commendations for the support thus far, Zelensky called for more immediate aid.

On the front lines, the Kherson region's localized ceasefire is set to expire at 22:59 Ukrainian time (21:00 GMT) on Sunday. The truce, brokered with the assistance of US First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV, initially focused on the city of Oleshky, which has been under Russian occupation since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Subsequently, the ceasefire expanded to encompass the broader Kherson region. The truce facilitated the evacuation of Oleshky residents, allowing them to leave the city due to food, water, and electricity shortages. With military positions just 5km (3.1 miles) away, evacuees had to traverse Russian-occupied terrain to reach southern Russia and eventually fly to Belarus before crossing Ukraine's northern border.

The oldest evacuee was 94 years old, while the youngest was just one year old, as reported by Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets.