433 Drones: Ukraine's Air Force Reports Massive Overnight Attack as Kherson Truce Expires

Civilians in southeastern Ukraine faced the expiration of a localized ceasefire on Sunday evening, ending a fragile pause in hostilities that marked the most substantial truce since Russia's full-scale invasion began four and a half years ago.

The White House credited U.S. First Lady Melania Trump with helping to broker the limited agreement. The truce began early Tuesday and was scheduled to conclude Sunday night. This pause in fighting enabled a joint evacuation of residents in the besieged front-line city of Oleshky. The operation concluded Saturday.

An estimated 2,000 civilians remained in Oleshky when the truce took effect. Residents chose to evacuate to either Ukrainian or Russian-controlled territory or stay behind with replenished food and medical supplies. Officials did not release exact figures for those who remained to ensure the safety of the people still in the city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia continued to target the country's energy systems ahead of winter. He reported that hundreds of thousands of families lost power overnight as Moscow attempted to exploit Ukraine's shortage of air defenses.

Zelenskyy posted on social media that the intensity of the strikes was extremely high. He said Russian forces were trying to take maximum advantage of the lack of ballistic missile interceptors.

Ukraine's air force reported that Moscow's forces attacked with 433 drones overnight. The agency stated that 371 of those drones were destroyed or suppressed. Regional authorities in Kyiv said Russian drone attacks wounded a woman and damaged homes, energy infrastructure, and a retail establishment for a second consecutive day.

Elsewhere in Russia, local authorities in Nizhny Novgorod region said more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the skies east of Moscow. Governor Gleb Nikitin announced that an industrial building in the town of Kstovo sustained significant damage. Russian media later reported that the attack sparked a blaze at the Kstovo oil refinery.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv also struck a factory used to make missile components and air defense facilities in Russia's southern Rostov region. He wrote that Ukraine is justly defending itself against Russian aggression and working to reduce Russia's capability to continue the conflict.

Life continued in the city of Kherson, where residents remained calm despite the upcoming end of the quiet. Oleksandr Knyha, head of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater, told the audience not to be afraid. The company performed a concert built around a musical map of Ukraine, ranging from Crimea to the Carpathian mountains.

The theater now performs in a basement and is equipping an additional bomb shelter. About 100 of the 120 staff members work in Kherson, and none has evacuated. Knyha said the show is not canceled regardless of what happens. Costume maker Alla Vasylenko said she has no plans to leave because she has 10 dogs and the trip would cost between 30,000 and 50,000 hryvnias.

Vasylenko stated that nothing will change after the ceasefire because believing the Russians means not believing oneself. She noted that until the left bank is liberated, there is no certainty the war will end. Knyha, who is from Oleshky, said the hope of returning home is what keeps him in Kherson.