Kherson braces for return of war as localised Russia-Ukraine truce ends

Is the war entering a new phase? The longest multi-day truce between Russia and Ukraine, limited to Ukraine's eastern Kherson region, has come to an end with no violations reported by either side, but also no sign of an extension. The truce, which ended on Sunday night, allowed hundreds of besieged residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky to be evacuated in a rare joint operation between Kyiv and Moscow. In Russia, meanwhile, authorities reported major damage to an industrial site following Ukrainian drone attacks on the Nizhny Novgorod region. The six-day localised ceasefire in the front-line Oleshky and the surrounding area was reached after mediation efforts by United States First Lady Melania Trump and with the involvement of Pope Leo XIV.