Ukraine power grid hit by Russian strikes as temporary Kherson truce concludes

A temporary humanitarian pause in southern Ukraine's Kherson region concluded on Sunday night, ending a brief window that permitted civilians to flee the Russian-held town of Oleshky while widespread aerial bombardments persisted elsewhere across the nation.

The limited local truce expired at 22:59 local time following several days of implementation. The halt in fighting was arranged with mediation from US First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo, beginning in Oleshky before expanding to surrounding parts of Kherson. Russian forces had occupied Oleshky since the early stages of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Hemmed in by Russian troops and the Dnipro River, residents had faced extreme deficits of food, clean water, and electricity, along with minefields and drone hazards, prompting some people to forage for garden weeds to sustain themselves.

Evacuees seeking safety could not cross directly toward Ukrainian positions situated merely five kilometres away. Instead, they navigated an indirect passage through Russian-controlled areas into southern Russia, boarded flights to Belarus, and were subsequently transported overland into northern Ukraine. According to Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, the evacuees ranged from a one-year-old child to a 94-year-old senior. The departures led to tearful reunions over the weekend between families separated for years.

Despite the localized Kherson pause, heavy fighting and missile barrages continued across other Ukrainian territories. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russian forces launched overnight attacks targeting electrical infrastructure in four different regions on Saturday. The assaults disconnected hundreds of thousands of residential properties from the grid. Although technicians worked to reconnect service, more than 60,000 households in the Dnipropetrovsk area remained disconnected by Sunday evening, local authorities reported. In the capital, Kyiv, ongoing utility strains have forced prolonged daily blackouts and disrupted municipal water systems.

Casualties were also reported from recent strikes. In the Vinnytsia region, an overnight attack claimed two lives, including a 13-year-old girl, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine stated.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces conducted a retaliatory strike against a key facility producing missile fuel in Russia's Rostov territory. Zelensky noted that the operation ignited a blaze and damaged four individual manufacturing units.

Addressing the broader strategic situation, Zelensky warned that Moscow has sharply intensified its air campaign to exploit Kyiv's dwindling stockpiles of ballistic missile interceptors. He emphasized that Ukrainian representatives continue daily appeals to the United States and European allies for rapid deliveries of Patriot defense batteries, describing them as the only viable shield against ballistic munitions. While expressing gratitude for previous assistance and future commitments, Zelensky reiterated the urgent requirement for immediate military aid.