Kherson ceasefire expires as Ukraine evacuates civilians and Russian strikes cut power across four regions

The six-day Kherson ceasefire — the longest truce of the Ukraine war — has expired, with Ukraine evacuating civilians from parts of the region as fighting is expected to resume. During the pause, 167 civilians — among them 22 children — were evacuated, and Ukrainian officials said no violations were recorded. One lawmaker described it as the "biggest de-escalation since 2022." On the truce's final day, Russian strikes hit energy infrastructure across four Ukrainian regions, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of people.

A Ukrainian military officer warned that combat would be "worse than before," alleging that Russian forces used the ceasefire period to build up troop numbers and replenish ammunition stocks.

Ukraine struck back hard, hitting the Kamensky missile plant in Russia's Rostov region and launching a 100-drone assault on the Kstovo oil facility in Nizhny Novgorod.

Zelensky declared Putin is "losing the war," citing October gains of 96.2 sq km of liberated territory and Russia's heaviest monthly casualty figures since the 2022 invasion began.