KHERSON — Civilians in Ukraine's south-eastern Kherson region prepared on Sunday for the end of a localised ceasefire that has marked the most significant truce between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago, the Associated Press reported. The truce was set to expire on Sunday evening — at 22:59 local time on November 1, according to AnewZ — after neither side announced an extension, News Central TV reported. This is the next development after the one Awaaz Punjab reported on Saturday: the pause had allowed besieged residents of the front-line city of Oleshky to be evacuated in a rare joint operation that ended on Saturday.
Source: AP via Glasgow Times, Nov 1, 2026
The White House said US first lady Melania Trump helped to broker the limited truce, which began early on Tuesday, AP reported. An estimated 2,000 civilians were in Oleshky when the temporary truce took hold; they were offered the choice of evacuating to territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia, or remaining in the city with replenished food and medical supplies. For the safety of those who stayed, exact numbers were not released after the evacuation. At the Ukrainian border on Saturday, family members waited for a glimpse of their loved ones while residents of nearby villages lined the highway waving flags and flashlights to greet the humanitarian convoy, AP reported.
Source: News Central TV, Nov 1, 2026
Residents in the Ukrainian city of Kherson remained calm on Sunday despite knowing the quiet would soon end, AP reported. The Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre staged its weekend concert as usual — in a basement, with an additional bomb shelter being equipped — and its head, Oleksandr Knyha, who is himself from Oleshky, told the audience: 'Don't be afraid, keep holding on.' Costume maker Alla Vasylenko, 58, said she had no plans to leave: 'Nothing will change. Everything will go back to how it was before the ceasefire, because believing the Russians means not believing yourself,' she said, adding that the trip out alone would cost 30,000 to 50,000 hryvnias and that she has 10 dogs she cannot leave.
Officials warned that Russian forces have brought in more weapons and personnel during the pause, and some residents expect shelling to intensify, AP reported — a warning Awaaz Punjab attributes to those officials and residents; it has not been independently verified. The war never paused elsewhere: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia continues to target Ukraine's energy systems ahead of winter, in a social-media post quoted by AP. What happens next is whether either side announces a late extension, whether shelling around Kherson and Oleshky resumes at its pre-truce intensity, and whether the Oleshky model is repeated elsewhere; US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to resume this month, News Central TV reported.
What is solid
- The localised Kherson ceasefire began early on Tuesday, Oct 27, was helped into being by US first lady Melania Trump according to the White House, and was set to expire Sunday evening, Nov 1, at 22:59 local time, with no extension announced by either side (AP; AnewZ; News Central TV)
- The truce allowed the evacuation of Oleshky's besieged residents in a joint operation that ended on Saturday; about 2,000 civilians were in the city when the truce took hold (AP)
- Kherson residents spent the truce's last day calmly, with the city's theatre performing as usual in a basement venue (AP reporting from Kherson)
What is only claimed
- Warnings that Russian forces used the pause to bring in more weapons and personnel, and that shelling will intensify, come from officials and residents speaking to AP — they are attributed expectations, not verified facts
- Whether fighting around Kherson resumes at full intensity after 22:59, or a late extension is agreed, was not known at the time of reporting