Kherson Theater Plays On as Ukraine's Local Truce Ends

The localized ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia ended Sunday evening, bringing a quiet respite to the front-line city of Kherson. The truce, which began Tuesday, marked the longest pause in fighting since the full-scale invasion began more than four years ago. The White House credited U.S. First Lady Melania Trump with brokering the agreement. The pause allowed for a joint evacuation operation in the besieged city of Oleshky that concluded Saturday.

Approximately 2,000 civilians were present in Oleshky when the truce took effect. Residents could choose to move to Ukrainian or Russian-controlled territory or remain in the city with new supplies of food and medicine. Exact figures for those who stayed were not released. At the border on Saturday, family members waited for arriving evacuees while villagers along the highway waved flags and flashlights to greet the humanitarian convoy.

Despite the local calm, aerial strikes continued in other parts of the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russian forces were targeting Ukraine's energy systems ahead of winter. He stated that hundreds of thousands of families lost power overnight as Moscow sought to exploit a shortage of air defense interceptors. Zelenskyy posted on X that the intensity of the attacks was extremely high.

In Kherson, the Mykola Kulish Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater held a concert on Sunday. Director Oleksandr Knyha told the audience, “Don’t be afraid, keep holding on.” The company has performed every weekend for four years without cancellation, even as local officials warn that Russian forces have increased weapons and personnel in the area. Knyha, who is from the occupied left bank city of Oleshky, said the show is not canceled. The theater now operates from a basement and is equipping an additional bomb shelter. About 100 of its 120 staff members remain in Kherson.

Costume maker Alla Vasylenko, 58, said the silence of the truce is frightening because she expects conditions to return to the status quo. She has no plans to leave due to her 10 dogs and the high cost of travel, estimated at 30,000 to 50,000 hryvnias. “Until we liberate the left bank, we have no certainty this will end,” Vasylenko said.

Outside the truce zone, Russian drone attacks hit the Kyiv region for a second day, wounding a woman and damaging homes and energy infrastructure. Ukraine’s air force reported that 433 drones were launched overnight, with 371 destroyed. In Russia, local authorities in Nizhny Novgorod region said more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down. An industrial building in Kstovo sustained damage, and Russian media reported a fire at the local oil refinery. Zelenskyy said Kyiv struck a missile components factory and air defense sites in Russia’s Rostov region.