Ceasefire in Russian-Occupied Oleshky Holds for First 30 Hours, Officials Say
A six-day local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky held without violation for its first 30 hours, as a humanitarian operation races to deliver urgently needed aid to about 2,000 remaining residents.
A localised six-day ceasefire began Tuesday in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, with both Ukrainian and Russian officials confirming no violations in the first 30 hours. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, both confirmed the truce was holding as of Wednesday. If it lasts, it would mark the first significant truce observed since Russia's full-scale invasion began more than four and a half years ago. The pause is intended to allow a humanitarian operation to deliver food, medicine and water to approximately 2,000 remaining residents, and to open evacuation corridors for those who wish to leave — with civilians free to choose either Ukrainian- or Russian-controlled territory as their destination. Doctors and supplies are to be sent in before any evacuation corridors open, negotiators said, though there was no news on how the operation was unfolding. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to be present on the ground once the road into Oleshky is de-mined. The White House credited US First Lady Melania Trump with brokering the mission; Pope Leo XIV also urged both presidents this month to allow humanitarian access. The ceasefire coincides with US-led technical peace talks expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in November, though no date has yet been set.
