The key facts

  • The ceasefire in Kherson region — the longest of the war — ends on Sunday evening with no announced extension
  • During the ceasefire the sides reported no violations; it allowed a humanitarian mission in the occupied Oleshky
  • A Ukrainian officer says Russian forces used the lull to redeploy troops and conduct drone reconnaissance

Ceasefire ends without extension

The longest ceasefire of the war in Ukraine, limited only to Kherson region and concluded with the mediation of US First Lady Melania Trump, is due to expire on Sunday evening: neither side has announced an extension, AFP reports. The pause in hostilities began on Tuesday and allowed a humanitarian mission to be carried out in the Russia-occupied city of Oleshky. The war is now in its fifth year.

A lull without violations — and fears for after

Neither side has reported any violations since the ceasefire began; one Ukrainian lawmaker called it 'the largest de-escalation since 2022.' Residents of Kherson used the pause for everyday tasks: 38-year-old gardener Volodymyr Omelchenko told AFP the ceasefire was 'a breath of fresh air,' and that they were 'pruning the roses for winter.' At the same time, a Ukrainian serviceman, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern that once fighting resumes it will be 'worse than before': according to him, Russian forces on the other bank of the Dnipro used the lull to build up fresh troops, bring in ammunition and gather intelligence on Ukrainian positions using observation drones.

The war continues elsewhere

Outside the ceasefire zone, fighting did not stop. Russia said a drone struck an 'industrial facility' east of Moscow overnight; Ukrainian media reported an attack on an oil refinery in Kstovo, calling it 'one of Russia's largest refineries.' Kyiv has repeatedly struck Russian oil and gas facilities, calling this a fair response to Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure; US President Donald Trump pressured Kyiv to stop such attacks, linking them to rising diesel prices, which analysts attribute to the war with Iran. Ukraine's Ministry of Energy reported new power outages across the country, including Kyiv, after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. In the occupied Luhansk region, according to Russian authorities, Ukrainian strikes since Saturday evening killed four people.

Context and negotiations

Russia, which denies striking civilians, occupies about a fifth of Ukraine's territory: Crimea, annexed in 2014, most of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (the Donbas) and significant parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Mediation talks between Russia and Ukraine with US participation are due to resume this month — they were effectively frozen after the joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Important caveat: the information about the redeployment of Russian troops is based on the words of a single anonymous Ukrainian officer and has not been independently confirmed in available sources.