Ukraine loses power in four regions as Kherson truce expires

More than 60,000 customers in the Dnipropetrovsk region were left without power as of early evening, according to the regional governor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in four regions overnight on Saturday left hundreds of thousands of homes dark. Repair crews worked throughout the day to restore connections, with most Dnipropetrovsk residents regaining service by the end of the business day.

The strikes continue a pattern of attacks on the energy grid that has forced emergency power cuts across the country. In the capital Kyiv, electricity has been shut off for most of the day, and water supplies are disrupted. Zelensky described the intensity of the Russian strikes over the past week as extremely high. He noted that Russia is attempting to exploit a shortage of ballistic missile interceptors. The President said Ukraine communicates its need for Patriot missiles to the US, Europe, and other partners every day, urging more immediate aid while thanking partners for their longer-term commitments.

Separate overnight strikes in the Vinnytsia region killed two people, including a 13-year-old girl, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. On the offensive side, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces hit a major missile fuel producer in Russia's Rostov region. The strike caused a fire and damaged four production facilities.

A rare humanitarian ceasefire in the Kherson region was set to end at 22:59 local time on Sunday. The pause in fighting, which began on Tuesday, was brokered with the help of US First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo. It was originally limited to the occupied city of Oleshky and later expanded to the wider Kherson region. The truce allowed civilians to evacuate Oleshky, a city trapped between the Dnipro river and Russian forces since February 2022.

Residents of Oleshky had faced severe shortages of food, water, and electricity, with some cooking garden weeds to survive. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, reported that the evacuees included a 94-year-old man and a one-year-old child. Ukrainian military positions sit just 5 kilometers from the city, but evacuees had to travel through Russian-occupied territory to southern Russia. They then flew to Belarus before being driven across Ukraine's northern border.

Emotional reunions occurred on Saturday as families separated for years met again. The localised ceasefire held on the front line since its implementation last week, though fighting continued in other areas. The next scheduled milestone is the expiration of the truce on Sunday night, after which regular hostilities are expected to resume in the Kherson region.