Ukraine's General Staff said on Monday that Russian forces used last week's humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-held southern town of Oleshky to strengthen their military positions, in the first official Ukrainian assessment since the pause expired on Sunday night.

Source: Reuters

The General Staff said it had recorded rotations of Russian units, fortification of positions, expansion of anti-drone measures along roads, and increased logistics activity, including deliveries of ammunition. "Under the ceasefire introduced for the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine ensured that the ceasefire was observed and acted exclusively within the framework of the agreements reached," the General Staff said in a statement. "The enemy, by contrast, used the humanitarian pause to improve its positions."

Source: Reuters

What the ceasefire was for

The six-day ceasefire — brokered through US First Lady Melania Trump and with the involvement of Pope Leo — took effect on October 27 and was meant to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations from the frontline town. It expired at 2100 GMT on Sunday and was the longest local pause in fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. In total, nearly 800 people were evacuated, Melania Trump said on X.

Source: Reuters

The pause itself ended without an extension on Sunday night. Read the earlier report: Kherson ceasefire expires with no extension

In a video address, Ukraine's 34th Separate Marine Brigade "Borysfen" called on residents of the Kherson region not to ignore air raid sirens, saying Russia had "used the ceasefire to prepare and strengthen its capabilities". Yaroslav Shanko, head of the Kherson City Military Administration, said there had been a drone strike on Monday in the centre of Kherson city, on the west bank of the Dnipro River opposite Oleshky, with no casualties reported. Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram that Russian forces had shelled and attacked with drones and aircraft 16 settlements in Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region in the 24 hours to 0400 GMT on Monday.

Source: Reuters

Moscow's response

The Kremlin pushed back on Monday without directly confirming or denying the Ukrainian account. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he assumed the Ukrainian army had also used the period to regroup, calling that standard practice, according to reporting of his remarks. Peskov also said no similar local ceasefires modelled on Oleshky were planned for now.

Source: Sowetan / Reuters reporting

Ukraine's General Staff said there were reasons to expect an intensification of hostilities around Kherson. The troop movements described by Kyiv have not been independently verified, and each side's claims are reported here as claims, not as settled fact.