Russia resumed attacks on Ukraine’s Kherson region on Monday following the expiration of a local ceasefire, which marked the longest pause in fighting between the two countries since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainian authorities said.
The temporary truce, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, began on Tuesday and ended on Sunday. It allowed a humanitarian mission to reach the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky and enabled hundreds of stranded residents to leave the area.
The ceasefire was the longest break in hostilities during the war, which has entered its fifth year, killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions.
At around 8am on Monday, Russian forces reportedly targeted a vehicle with a drone in the Korabelny district of Kherson, according to local authorities. A 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were wounded in the attack and taken to hospital.
A senior Ukrainian official said on Sunday that Russia had rejected Kyiv’s proposal to extend the ceasefire.
Kherson Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin had urged residents to remain particularly cautious as the truce approached its end.
Ukraine’s military also accused Russian forces of using the temporary halt in fighting to strengthen and fortify their positions.
Separately, a Russian attack killed one person in Izium, a city in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, the regional governor said.
US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are expected to resume later this month.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected calls for a broader ceasefire, maintaining that Russia intends to continue its military offensive to capture the remaining parts of eastern Ukraine.
