Ceasefire Ends, 26 Killed in Ukraine

At least 26 people were killed in Russian strikes on a village in southern Ukraine on Monday, including civilians, emergency workers, and police officers.

The attack occurred hours after a local ceasefire in the Kherson region expired. The truce, which began on Tuesday, was the longest pause in fighting in the war since Russia's 2022 invasion. Neither side reported violations during the ceasefire period, which ended on Sunday.

Russian forces targeted a school in Zaporizhzhia, adjacent to Kherson, that was distributing humanitarian aid. Acting regional governor Mykhailo Semikin confirmed the death toll of at least 26. Ukrainian emergency services shared footage showing the building reduced to smoldering rubble with rescuers working at the site. Some of the dead had come to collect aid at the local school.

Among the victims were two rescue workers and four police officers. The emergency service named the rescuers as Denys Konovalenko and Oleksy Sushchevsky, both 44 years old. A statement from the service noted that the men worked in dangerous conditions to save others. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the strikes happened as people arrived to collect aid. He described a sequence of aerial bombs hitting the building, followed by a repeat strike targeting the shelter.

Zelensky said the ceasefire had created a moment where progress toward peace seemed possible. He stated that Russia is now counting on more killings and that there must be a response. The ceasefire was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump to enable a mission to the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky. This mission allowed for the evacuation of people to both Ukraine-controlled territory and Moscow-annexed Crimea.

A senior Ukrainian figure told AFP that Russia refused a Ukrainian offer to extend the truce. Kyiv's military alleged that Moscow used the pause in fighting to fortify its positions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not deny the accusations. He told reporters that such practices are normal in such situations. Peskov noted that the Ukrainian army had also used past pauses to regroup. He described the Oleshky humanitarian mission as successful and praised the cooperation between all sides.

The Kremlin said no other similar missions are planned at the moment. US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that US-led talks between Russia and Ukraine will resume next week. These talks are set for November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi. President Donald Trump has pushed for a settlement to the war, but no breakthrough has been reached. Kyiv and its European allies worry that Trump has increasingly sided with Moscow.

Both Russia and Ukraine reported that their emergency warning apps were hacked in apparent cyberattacks hours after the truce ended. Ukraine suspected its air raid alert system was compromised after false alerts of a radiation threat were sent to millions. Russia said an app belonging to its emergency situations ministry was also hacked. The Russian app is not widely used, as warnings are typically sent by text message in border regions. Russia has intensified its attacks this year with ballistic missiles and fast jet-powered drones.