‘Breath of fresh air’ truce brings hope to Ukraine’s ravaged Kherson

Communal workers walk next to the Kherson Regional State Administration building, which was destroyed in previous Russian air attacks, during a temporary ceasefire in the city of Kherson, Ukraine, on Friday. | AFP-JIJI

Oct 31, 2026

Ukraine – Gardener Volodymyr Omeltchenko, rake in hand, looked up at the sky with an expression of near disbelief — only the pitter-patter of rain and the sound of a lawnmower broke the silence of Freedom Square, a central area of the Ukrainian city of Kherson which has been relentlessly bombarded by Russian forces.

Over the past three days, a humanitarian ceasefire has made it possible to evacuate inhabitants of Oleshky, a nearby town under Russian occupation and gripped by hunger.

That ceasefire has been a “breath of fresh air,” said the 38-year-old father with piercing blue eyes.

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