What is life like in Kherson during the ceasefire brokered by Melania Trump and Pope Leo?

American journalist Zarina Zabrisky, who has lived in Kherson for three years, told the BBC the six-day truce brought a surreal quiet with no drones or artillery, and residents walking to destroyed riverside neighbourhoods to see their homes. The calm is deceptive: drone-dropped mines killed two of her colleagues in two days, and most people believe Russia is using the pause to bring in weapons for a heavier assault once it ends.

• The ceasefire began with Oleshky, occupied since 2022, and Melania Trump said it had expanded across the Kherson region for aid convoys.
• Normally Kherson's streets are empty by 3 p.m. because of drone attacks on civilians.

▸In their words

“It's a kind of a mixed blessing, this ceasefire.” Zarina Zabrisky · at 12:07 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →

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