Kherson region sees truce expand as aid and evacuations are planned

A temporary truce initially negotiated to bring humanitarian relief to the occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky has expanded across the wider Kherson area, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Both Ukrainian and Russian representatives reported that the cessation of fighting, which began early on Tuesday, has held without reported violations. The pause is designed to allow emergency shipments of food and medical supplies to reach stranded civilians before planned evacuations on Friday.

The agreement was mediated with the involvement of US First Lady Melania Trump alongside Pope Leo XIV. Following the initial deal, Trump announced on social media that the scope of the truce had been widened across the Kherson territory to secure transit corridors for aid convoys. Ukrainian officials, including regional deputy head Oleksandr Tolokonnikov and representatives from the human rights ombudsman, confirmed that Russian artillery strikes had halted across both Ukrainian-held Kherson city and surrounding districts.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that operations were unfolding as planned, acknowledging American diplomatic mediation. On the Ukrainian side, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted that a successful humanitarian effort could open doors to broader peace discussions. David Arakhamia, a senior lawmaker within President Volodymyr Zelensky's political party, indicated the truce is scheduled to run until late Sunday evening, characterizing the move as the most significant de-escalation seen since 2022.

Oleshky, located along the southern bank of the Dnipro River, fell under Russian control during the early days of the February 2022 invasion. An estimated 1,700 to 2,000 residents remain in the town, with several thousand more living nearby. Conditions deteriorated sharply following the catastrophic destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023, leaving the community entirely cut off from basic utilities including electricity, water and heating. Extreme supply shortages have forced remaining civilians to rely on garden weeds for sustenance.

Escape routes have long been perilous due to extensive minefields and continuous drone strikes. Russian military engineers have reportedly begun demining primary access roads to enable the delivery of aid, expected as early as Thursday, ahead of Friday's evacuation efforts.

Uncertainty remains surrounding where evacuees will ultimately be relocated. Russian-installed regional governor Vladimir Saldo claimed that temporary housing has been organized in occupied areas, Crimea, and southern Russian provinces, asserting that most citizens wish to enter Russia. However, Ukrainian officials, including President Zelensky, expressed concern that routes managed by Russian forces are intended to channel evacuees into Russian territory rather than returning them to government-held parts of Ukraine. Severely damaged bridges and heavily mined riverbanks along the Dnipro currently rule out a direct river crossing into Ukrainian-controlled Kherson.