Fighting resumed in Ukraine's Kherson region on Monday after a six-day ceasefire, the longest pause in combat since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Local authorities said Russian forces struck a medical facility in Kherson city centre and attacked a car with a drone, injuring a 62-year-old woman and 73-year-old man. Ukraine's General Staff accused Russian forces of using the humanitarian pause to rotate units, expand anti-drone equipment and deliver ammunition. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "reasonable to assume that the Ukrainian army also used this period for the necessary regrouping," calling it "a completely standard practice."
The ceasefire enabled hundreds of residents to evacuate from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky after years trapped on the frontline. Hundreds arrived in northern Ukraine on Saturday and were reunited with relatives they had not seen for years. Residents who remained will receive monthly humanitarian aid deliveries.
US First Lady Melania Trump brokered the ceasefire, with both Kyiv and Moscow thanking her, though no details of her involvement were disclosed. Russia's human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets oversaw the truce and called for similar initiatives elsewhere. Ukraine said it would accept comparable ceasefires at the national level.
The Kremlin rejected broader application. Spokesman Peskov called Oleshky "an isolated case" that would not affect peace talks and said "there are no similar plans or initiatives." Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian air strikes continued throughout the ceasefire, killing civilians and destroying infrastructure.