A short-term ceasefire in southern Ukraine cleared the skies over Kherson of Russian drones and guided bombs from October 27 to November 1, allowing residents to venture outdoors, stock up on supplies, and evacuate civilians from the mined town of Oleshky.
The temporary halt in hostilities was negotiated by First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman and independent human rights watchdog, thanked Melania Trump for ensuring the truce took place. “I believe they can be upheld and honored,” Lubinets said regarding truces between Ukraine and Russia.
The agreement was designed to assist Oleshky, a town located across the Dnipro River from Kherson. Russian troops occupied Oleshky in 2022 and mined the surrounding land, cutting off regular supplies of food and medicine. Families of residents reported that their loved ones survived on pickles and boiled weeds during the occupation. Over the weekend, hundreds of Oleshky residents were evacuated on buses and escorted into northern Ukraine.
Even a brief pause provided a respite for Kherson, where Russian troops based across the river have hunted residents with explosive first-person-view (FPV) drones since 2024. The city’s streets, buildings, and the highway leading into town are shielded with tunnels of heavy mesh netting.
During the ceasefire, streets filled with families, shoppers, and couples. Best friends Anna Herasimenko and Olena Soboleva, both 21, spent the days walking outside and visiting a local cafe.
“No drones, no explosions,” Soboleva said. “No one wants to kill you.”
“The city seems alive, just like it used to be,” Herasimenko added, noting she also visited a salon for a manicure.
The temporary calm also allowed displaced residents to return temporarily. Svitlana Vorobiova, a retired police officer who fled the constant bombardment, drove back from a safer city to visit her parents and show her son his hometown for the first time in four years. Tears filled her eyes at the Greek-style monument marking the city’s gateway.
Volodymyr Mykolaienko, the 66-year-old former mayor of Kherson, used the truce to visit his father’s grave in a part of the city usually filled with drones. Mykolaienko spent much of Russia’s full-scale assault as a prisoner of war after being arrested by occupying forces in early 2022, eventually returning to Kherson following a prisoner exchange last year.
“I could not hold myself back,” he said. “I was able to do exactly what I have long wanted to do — to talk to my father, pray, thank him for my life and to tell him what was happening to our city.”
At a busy bus stop, oncology nurse Olena Yehorova watched a gray-haired man play folk music on his accordion.
“This truce has been such a relief,” she said. “The people in our city have been able to breathe. Of course, we still walk around with caution, because you cannot trust the Russians.”
The truce ended on Sunday night. Following the expiration of the agreement, Yehorova said she expected new attacks to resume at any time.
