Kherson city experiences brief peace under US-brokered ceasefire

Kherson, Ukraine has known its first two days of quiet after many years, as a US-brokered temporary ceasefire has allowed residents rare moments of respite from constant Russian aerial attacks that plague the front line region. Videos on social media showed people strolling down streets covered in anti-drone nets and gathering in squares, ordinary activities that usually mean keeping one eye on the sky and one ear out for incoming drones. "Ever since the ceasefire was announced, there's been total silence," said Olga, 42, speaking by phone from Kherson. "We are all, of course, overjoyed."

Since Tuesday, Kherson has "literally come back to life," Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said. "People are calmly going out, walking, enjoying the autumn sun. What for some is ordinary everyday life, for residents of the Kherson region today is the greatest desire." The temporary pause in hostilities, due to end on Sunday, is the result of efforts by US First Lady Melania Trump to broker a safe passage out of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, which lies on the other side of the Dnipro river from Kherson.

For several days, Russian forces have been working to clear the road of mines ahead of a planned evacuation of Oleshky's civilians on Friday. However, there are fears that, alongside carrying out the well-publicised "humanitarian operation," the Russians are using the truce to bolster their forces in the area ahead of a renewed onslaught of Kherson from next week. An anonymous source working in local government told the BBC that locals witnessed a military build-up around Radensk, some 20km from Oleshky, where residents say they were simultaneously giving the enemy an opportunity to exploit the ceasefire for its own military purposes.

The population of Kherson has dwindled from over 250,000 to about 65,000 since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which will enter its sixth year in February. Though civilian life never stopped, it carried on under active battlefield conditions with schools, theatres, kindergartens and hospitals moved underground. Some residents are returning to the "red zone" to access their belongings, finding buildings reduced to charred shells or homes looted. Others are rushing back for reasons beyond material concerns, such as visiting graves of family members killed by drone attacks. The evacuation of nearby Oleshky is due to be completed by Sunday, after which the ceasefire will end, and concerns are that things could turn chaotic starting Monday.

Source: BBC World.