The key facts
- Kherson has seen a two-day lull thanks to a ceasefire agreed by US First Lady Melania Trump.
- The ceasefire is being used to evacuate residents of occupied Oleshky and to give citizens access to dangerous areas of Kherson.
- Ukrainian experts fear that Russia is using the pause to regroup forces and bring in weapons.
Temporary lull in Kherson
Kherson has seen its first two-day lull in almost five years thanks to a temporary ceasefire agreed by US First Lady Melania Trump. Residents of the city, who had previously been forced to constantly watch the sky because of drone threats, were for the first time in a long while able to stroll calmly through the streets and visit public places. As representatives of Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lutsenko reported, the city literally 'came back to life': people took to the streets enjoying the autumn sun, and shops and cafes saw a revival, with even small traffic jams forming, as reported by BBC News.
Humanitarian mission and evacuation
The main purpose of the ceasefire was to organize a safe passage for the evacuation of civilians from Oleshky, a city occupied by Russian troops located on the other bank of the Dnipro. According to sources, the party to the conflict was working on demining the road ahead of the planned evacuation, which is due to be completed by Sunday. As part of this operation, which some American journalists plan to observe, dozens of Kherson residents also got the opportunity to return to the so-called 'red zone' — an area previously considered uninhabitable due to constant attacks — to collect personal belongings or visit the graves of loved ones.
Concerns about military maneuvers
Despite the residents' relief, experts and local authorities express serious concern that the enemy is using the pause in hostilities to strengthen its positions. An anonymous source in the local administration said that Russian forces are likely using the lull to bring in weapons, ammunition and drones, as well as to regroup troops. Petro Andriushchenko, director of the Center for the Study of Occupation, confirmed that local residents observed a military build-up in the area of Radensk, located 20 km from Oleshky, and warned that after the ceasefire ends the situation could become even more severe due to the reinforcement of Russian units.
Uncertainty about the future
The ceasefire, which is due to end on Sunday, does not guarantee long-term peace, and Kherson residents are aware that shelling could resume with renewed force as early as Monday. Over the past years, the city's population has shrunk from more than 250,000 to about 65,000 people, and infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, has been moved into underground shelters. Although no violations of the ceasefire regime have been recorded so far, many residents who returned to the 'red zone' were confronted with houses destroyed to the ground and acknowledged that these few days of quiet only showed what life could be like if the war ended completely.
Image source, Reuters The temporary ceasefire in Kherson has provided its residents with the first glimpse of peace in nearly five years
Image source, Supplied 'We've managed to adapt to this way of life,' Olga said. 'We've been living under these conditions for nearly five years now.'
