Russian strikes cut power to thousands in Ukraine as Kherson ceasefire to end

A humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine's Kherson region, allowing civilians to evacuate the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, is set to end on Sunday. Despite the local ceasefire, fighting persists in other areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russia had targeted energy infrastructure in four regions overnight Saturday, leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

A strike in Vinnytsia killed two, including a 13-year-old girl. Ukraine retaliated by attacking a major missile fuel producer in Russia, causing fires and damaging facilities. Repair efforts for restored power continued in Ukraine, but over 60,000 Dnipropetrovsk residents remained without power. Emergency power cuts are frequent across the country, including in the capital Kyiv, where electricity is cut for much of the day, and water supplies are disrupted.

Zelensky stated Russia's strikes have been "extremely high" recently and that the nation seeks Patriot missiles from allies to defend against Russia's deadly missiles. The Kherson region's ceasefire, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo, is set to end at 22:59 Ukrainian time Sunday. The truce, initially limited to Oleshky, expanded to the wider Kherson region and allowed residents to evacuate, with scenes of reunions between long-separated loved ones.

Evacuees traveled through Russian-occupied territory to Belarus and finally crossed the northern border.