A fragile, short-lived ceasefire in Ukraine's Kherson region created a perilous but vital escape window for civilians trapped in riverside communities near the front lines. For a few days starting Oct. 27, residents in villages like Kozatske, situated less than 1.2 miles from Russian-controlled territory, had a brief respite from constant shelling and drone attacks.
Nataliia Diadiuk, a 53-year-old resident of Kozatske, described her existence as reduced to basic survival, relying on rainwater, firewood, and scarce humanitarian aid. She used a white towel and a white rag to signal her civilian status to Russian drone operators. "I really want silence," Diadiuk said, expressing a deep longing for peace and the return of displaced neighbors.
The Associated Press gained rare access to this "red zone," an area of extreme military danger, facilitated by the ceasefire linked to a humanitarian aid mission in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky. During this window, Ukrainian officials, police, the Red Cross, and volunteers managed to reach and evacuate residents cut off for nearly two years.
In total, 180 people, including 23 children, were evacuated from riverside communities and the city of Kherson. Before the full-scale invasion, the Kherson region, now about 70% under Russian control, was home to approximately 1 million residents. Approximately 140,000 people still remain in the Ukrainian-held parts of the region.
Many houses in the affected villages are reduced to rubble from glide bomb attacks, with scattered mines posing a constant threat. Residents who remain often cite financial inability to relocate, a reluctance to abandon their homes, or a lack of anywhere else to go as reasons for staying. Oleh Tarabaka, head of the Nova Kakhovka city military administration, noted that persuading some residents to leave is difficult, as they fear starting over with nothing.
Despite the dangers, some residents like 54-year-old Oleksii Shavokin chose to stay, patching up his destroyed home and rationing food. He expressed a fatalistic view, stating, "Wherever it's written for you, that's where you'll lose your life." However, he also voiced hope for a swift end to the conflict.
The temporary truce also allowed the Ukrainian Red Cross Society's rapid response team to evacuate significantly more people than usual. Normally evacuating about 10 people a week, the team transported at least 40 during the ceasefire period. Mykola Taranenko, commander of the team in the Kherson region, highlighted the extreme danger of navigating Kherson's streets, describing them as "kill zones" due to constant drone and weapon threats.
Among those evacuated were Volodymyr and Kateryna Yakuba, aged 77, who left the city together to join their daughter in Odesa, expressing relief that they could leave before the cold weather set in and acknowledging the uncertainty of returning to their homes.