Zelensky says Russia used cover of humanitarian operation in Kherson region to rotate troops

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian military commanders used the truce in the Kherson region to rotate troops.

“Unfortunately, under cover of the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, the Russian army carried out a significant rotation of personnel and equipment on the left bank,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel on November 8. Russian forces also brought additional troops into the city and the surrounding area, according to the Ukrainian president.

The Ukrainian General Staff had earlier said Russian forces used the truce in Oleshky to “fortify” their positions.

Russian authorities, for their part, said Kyiv had also used the truce for “a corresponding regrouping.” Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said, “This is quite common practice in such situations.”

Oleshky is a city in the Kherson region that Russia occupied at the start of the full-scale war. By the fall of 2026, Oleshky was on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. To deliver aid to the city and evacuate residents who chose to leave, Russia and Ukraine halted hostilities in the Oleshky area from October 27 to November 1. This was the longest truce since 2022. The ombudsmen of Russia and Ukraine coordinated the joint humanitarian operation, reportedly with mediation from U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.