Kherson's brief ceasefire brings 'total silence' and fears of what follows

Kherson resident Olga, 42, described the change by phone from the city. "Ever since the ceasefire was announced, there's been total silence," she said. "We are all, of course, overjoyed." She added: "It's as if everything has finally come to an end."

Since Tuesday, Kherson has "literally come back to life," Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said. "People are calmly going out, walking, enjoying the autumn sun. What for some is ordinary everyday life, for residents of the Kherson region today is the greatest desire."

The pause in hostilities is due to end on Sunday. It stems from efforts by US First Lady Melania Trump to broker a safe passage out of Russian-occupied Oleshky, which lies across the Dnipro river from Kherson. Russian forces have spent days clearing the road of mines ahead of a planned evacuation of Oleshky's civilians on Friday, and some American journalists will be invited to witness the “humanitarian operation.”

But there are fears the Russians are using the truce to prepare for a renewed assault on Kherson from next week. An anonymous source working in local government told the BBC that Russia was using the lull to strengthen positions, bring in more military supplies, weapons, ammunition and drones, and carry out redeployment. Petro Andriushchenko, director of Ukraine's Center for Studying the Occupation, said Kherson locals had witnessed a military build-up around Radensk, about 20km from Oleshky. "We are simultaneously giving the enemy an opportunity to exploit the ceasefire for its own military purposes," he said, warning that after the ceasefire the situation could be "worse than we saw before, because Russia's units will be stronger."

The ceasefire has held with no violations reported on either side since Tuesday. Earlier ceasefires, resident Dima noted, were generally not respected. "This is the first time the shelling has stopped, people don't quite believe it," he told the BBC. "They are going to the shops, drinking coffee, walking around... The city is alive." On social media, a woman named Yulia wrote about returning from a supermarket trip "whole and calm" rather than scared and sweating, as she usually did.

Dozens of people were also able to access belongings and homes in Kherson's “red zone,” an area so exposed to drone and artillery attacks that it has become unlivable. “Some are venturing into places where nobody has dared to go for years,” said Denisa Bohackova, a Czech volunteer who lives in Kherson. Some found buildings reduced to charred, empty shells; others found homes looted. Angela Dobrovolska travelled back from Kyiv to visit the grave of her husband Serhiy, killed two years ago by a grenade dropped from a Russian drone. “They say that all the people have rushed to Kherson,” she said. “And I'll be going to the cemetery to my husband.”

Kherson's population has fallen from more than 250,000 to about 65,000 since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, which enters its sixth year in February. Schools, theatres, kindergartens and hospitals have moved underground, and Olga described regular blackouts, mines dropped by drones and a city that typically shuts by the afternoon.

“The concern is that, starting Monday, things could turn truly chaotic,” Olga said. Dima said: “We know the strikes will resume, and that they will increase. These few days showed us how it could be if it all finally ended.”