Kherson Residents Walk Streets Free of Drones During Five-Day Truce

The skies over Kherson were clear of Russian drones this past weekend for the first time in months. Residents took advantage of the quiet to walk the streets, visit family, and evacuate neighbors in the nearby town of Oleshky.

The truce ran from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1. It was negotiated by First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV. The agreement covered a section of southern Ukraine that includes Kherson and the town of Oleshky, which sits across the Dnipro River.

Russian forces occupied Oleshky in 2022 and planted mines in the surrounding land. Families said food and medicine were hard to find. Some residents survived on pickles and boiled weeds. During the truce, hundreds of people left Oleshky on buses. They were escorted to northern Ukraine.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman, credited Melania Trump with helping secure the pause in fighting. He said he believes future truces between the two countries can be kept.

In Kherson, the break in hostilities allowed for a return to routine. Olena Soboleva and Anna Herasimenko, both 21, met at a cafe decorated with paintings of cats. They passed families with children and shoppers buying supplies. Soboleva said there were no drones and no explosions. Herasimenko noted that the city felt alive again.

Herasimenko also visited a salon for a manicure. She showed off her new burgundy nail polish. She said the streets were full of people, just as they had been before the war intensified.

Since 2024, Russian troops across the river have used FPV drones to target Kherson. The highway into the city is covered in heavy mesh nets to block the drones. Many streets and buildings also have these anti-drone nets installed.

Svitlana Vorobiova, a retired police officer, drove from a safer city to visit her parents in Kherson. She took photos with her children at a Greek-style monument that marks the city’s entrance. Her son had not been to his hometown in four years. He told her he could not believe he was back.

Volodymyr Mykolaienko, 66, walked through the city past the damaged remains of an administrative building. He had served as mayor of Kherson before. Russian troops arrested him in early 2022 and held him as a prisoner of war. He was freed in a prisoner exchange last year. During the truce, he visited his father’s grave in a part of the city usually filled with drones. He said he was able to pray and talk to his father.

Olena Yehorova, an oncology nurse, watched a man play the accordion at a busy bus stop. She said the truce was a relief for the people of Kherson. She added that residents still walk with caution because they do not trust the Russians. The truce ended Sunday night. Yehorova said she expects attacks to resume at any time.