Longest Ukraine War Ceasefire Ends in Kherson After Six Days
The longest multi-day truce of the Ukraine war, limited to Oleshky and the Kherson region, ended on 1 November after six days with no violations reported, nearly 800 people evacuated and no extension.
The longest multi-day truce of the Russia-Ukraine war has ended in the Kherson region, after six days in which neither side reported a violation — and with no extension, despite a Ukrainian proposal to keep it going.
Highlights
- Six-day truce ends: The localised ceasefire around Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson area expired at 10:59pm on Sunday, 1 November, Ukrainian time (20:59 GMT).
- No violations reported: Neither side reported a breach during the truce, which ran from 27 October to 1 November.
- Nearly 800 evacuated: US First Lady Melania Trump said the pause enabled the evacuation of nearly 800 people and the delivery of critical aid.
- No extension: A Ukrainian official told AFP Russia refused an offer to extend the ceasefire after Kyiv’s Foreign Ministry proposed it.
- Fighting continued elsewhere: Strikes elsewhere in Ukraine on Sunday left hundreds of thousands of households without power, President Zelenskyy said.
A rare pause, limited to one region
The truce was limited to the front-line town of Oleshky and the surrounding area in the Kherson region, and it ended on Sunday night with no violations reported by either side, but also no sign of an extension Al Jazeera reported on 1 November, updated 2 November. Ukraine’s Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed the dates, saying:
“The ceasefire, which was in effect from October 27 to November 1, has ended,”
Lubinets called the temporary truce “an important step in our joint humanitarian efforts” with Russia NDTV reported on 2 November, citing his statement. Limited pauses like this one are different from wider deals discussed elsewhere — such as the Black Sea ceasefire, where a limited truce could protect grain and energy — because Oleshky’s was built for one humanitarian job: getting civilians out and supplies in.
Brokered by Melania Trump, with Pope Leo involved
The six-day ceasefire was reached after mediation efforts by US First Lady Melania Trump and with the involvement of Pope Leo XIV Al Jazeera reported. After the truce expired, Melania Trump wrote on X that it had been “a success, delivering critical aid to the region and enabling the evacuation of nearly 800 people”, and said in full:
“On behalf of America, I commend Russia and Ukraine for their leadership and cooperation surrounding the Oleshky ceasefire,”
“I hope Oleshky serves as a foundation for lasting peace between both nations.”
Pope Leo, who had pressed for the truce, wrote on X:
“I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary humanitarian act possible, will strengthen the desire for dialogue and lead to new concrete peace initiatives.”
Evacuations: 167 more people moved on the final day
An estimated 2,000 civilians were in Oleshky when the truce took hold, and they were offered the choice to evacuate to Kyiv-controlled territory or to Russian-occupied territory, or to remain in the town with replenished food and medical supplies Al Jazeera reported. On Sunday, Ukraine’s military evacuated 167 more people from threatened areas of the Kherson region, including 22 children and 21 people with limited mobility Al Jazeera reported, citing Ukraine’s military. Ukraine’s General Staff wrote on Telegram, in full:
“Units of civil-military cooperation of the ‘South’ group of forces, in cooperation with representatives of local authorities, evacuated 167 civilians to safer points in the Kherson region,”
No extension, and a warning to stay away from the river
The pause did not become a longer one. A Ukrainian official told AFP that Russia refused an offer to extend the ceasefire after Kyiv’s Foreign Ministry proposed it, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian news agencies, said Moscow had a positive view of how the operation was conducted Al Jazeera reported. Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents to remain vigilant as the expiry neared, writing on Telegram:
“I also strongly urge you not to visit the so-called ‘red zones’ – areas and settlements near the Dnipro [River],”
“The intensity of Russian strikes there remains high, and the threat to life is extremely high.”
The war did not stop elsewhere
While Kherson was quiet, fighting continued elsewhere. Russian strikes elsewhere in Ukraine on Sunday left hundreds of thousands of households without power, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Al Jazeera reported. That contrast is the limit of a localised truce: it can prove both sides can hold fire in one place, without stopping the war around it.
What comes next may be decided at the table. US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume this month NDTV reported on 2 November — diplomacy that is running in parallel with other US-mediated files, including the Iran–US Doha talks, where Tehran has warned a new war could last longer. Whether Oleshky becomes, in Melania Trump’s words, a foundation for lasting peace, or simply the war’s longest pause so far, depends on whether that six-day discipline can be repeated — and extended — when the talks resume.
