Russian drone attacks hit Kherson hours after Oleshky ceasefire ends

As of 8:13 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

Ukrainian authorities in the Kherson region reported multiple Russian drone attacks early Monday, hours after a localized ceasefire tied to a humanitarian mission to the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky expired, The Associated Press reported.

At about 8 a.m. Kyiv time (1 a.m. ET), a Russian drone attacked a car in the Korabelnyi district of the city of Kherson, the Kherson Regional Military Administration said. A 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man suffered blast injuries and were taken to a hospital, it said. The city lies across the Dnipro River from Russian-occupied territory.

Truce expires after six days

The ceasefire, which began Oct. 27, marked the most significant truce between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began nearly five years ago, the AP reported. "The White House said U.S. first lady Melania Trump helped broker the limited truce," the AP wrote, adding that civilian negotiators from Russia and Ukraine also helped secure the pause.

The truce expired at midnight Moscow time, or 4 p.m. ET Sunday, Reuters reported. At that time, there was "no immediate indication of any resumption of hostilities on either side," the news agency said.

Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said both sides had "upheld the obligations they undertook throughout the duration of this period," Reuters reported. He said he and Russia's human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, were "exploring possibilities to continue similar humanitarian efforts." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian news agencies, said Moscow had a positive view of how the operation was conducted and of the coordination between the two commissioners, according to Reuters.

No extension was announced. A senior Ukrainian official told Agence France-Presse that Russia had refused a Ukrainian offer to extend the truce, Euronews reported. Russia did not publicly address that claim in the reports reviewed by GROKsiNEWS.com.

Evacuations

An estimated 2,000 civilians were in Oleshky when the truce took effect, the AP reported. They could leave for territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia, or remain in the city with replenished food and medical supplies. Exact evacuation totals were withheld to protect those who stayed, according to the AP.

Separately, Ukraine's military said it evacuated 167 people from threatened areas of the southern Kherson region on Sunday, two days after buses carried residents out of Oleshky, Reuters reported. The General Staff said its units, working with local authorities, "evacuated 167 civilians to safer points in the Kherson region," including 22 children and 21 people with limited mobility, according to Reuters.

Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents to stay vigilant as the truce neared its end. "I also strongly urge you not to visit the so-called 'red zones' – areas and settlements near the Dnipro," he wrote on Telegram, according to Reuters. "The intensity of Russian strikes there remains high, and the threat to life is extremely high."

Ukraine says Russia used the pause

Ukraine's General Staff said Monday that its forces had observed the ceasefire and acted only within the terms agreed. It accused Russian forces of using the pause to rotate units, fortify positions, expand anti-drone measures along roads and bring in ammunition. The AP reported the General Staff's statement that Russia had bolstered its drone defenses and replenished ammunition in the area. Russia did not respond to the accusation in the reports reviewed.

Pope Leo said he hoped cooperation between Russia and Ukraine on the Oleshky ceasefire would pave the way for broader peace efforts, Reuters reported.