Kherson Truce: Melania Trump Negotiates Six-Day Pause in Fighting

Silence has returned to the streets of Kherson for the first time in four years.

The quiet began at 3 a.m. Tuesday when a six-day ceasefire took effect. U.S. First Lady Melania Trump brokered the agreement between Russian and Ukrainian forces. The truce is tied to a humanitarian mission in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town across the Dnipro River. Trump described the situation in Oleshky as being on the brink of disaster. Up to 2,000 people remain in that town, where food and medical supplies are running low.

The pause allows medicine, food, and water to reach Oleshky before evacuation corridors open later this week. The agreement also spread to the Ukrainian-held side of the river in the Kherson region. For four years, Moscow forces have attacked the city from the opposite bank using guided aerial bombs and first-person-view drones. These attacks turned the port city into a permanent front line.

Wednesday marked the first full day of the lull. More people took to the streets than usual. Some stocked up on groceries. Others sawed firewood to prepare for winter. Hanna Llianna, 61, walked to the city center for the first time in nearly two years. She visited a coffee shop but avoided the riverfront neighborhoods where she once ran a grocery store. She said the calm feels unsettling. She fears the return of fighting will make the pain worse.

Municipal workers used the pause to repair netting that shields streets from drones. Residents also ventured into dangerous zones to check on property. Anton Shakhunov drove to a heavily damaged building where he previously rented an apartment. He left the unit in the spring after a drone hit the roof and started a fire. He walked through the fifth-floor space, noting the missing windows and ripped doors. He called the apartment a sign of his past business success before the invasion.

Oleksii Kroshchenko said the drones are the scariest threat. His wife, Liudmyla Shevchenko, added that guided bombs are also dangerous. She used the quiet time to tidy her garden and replant tulips. On Tuesday, she pruned grapevines but frequently mistook the sound of the wind for incoming aircraft. She hopes the pause will allow her to buy new saplings and plant trees.

Danger remains despite the truce. Russian forces continue to scatter remote mines. A military press officer was killed by one on Tuesday. Residents walk carefully because fallen leaves can hide explosives. Oleksandra Kostenko lives in the city and has left only once since the occupation began. She fears Russia will use the pause to stockpile drones and move forces closer. Yuliia Orlova visited her mother in a shelled riverside district on Tuesday. She believes the ceasefire will help people in Oleshky escape, even if Russia uses the time to regroup.