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A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Oleshky took effect at 0100 GMT on Tuesday, with the stated aim of enabling humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations, Anadolu Agency reported.
The White House confirmed in a statement issued Friday that US first lady Melania Trump had served as the “Exclusive Intermediary” in securing the agreement.
Oleshky, a frontline town on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, is facing worsening shortages of food, medicine and clean water, according to the White House. Residents also have limited access to electricity and face mined roads and recurring military attacks.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said. She added that without her intervention, bringing humanitarian aid into the city and evacuating older residents would have been impossible.
Russia and Ukraine announce local truce measures
Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said Moscow would impose a “regime of silence” in the Kherson direction from 4 am Moscow time on Oct. 27 to support humanitarian operations.
The Russian Defense Ministry quoted Gerasimov as saying that engineering reconnaissance would be carried out to protect residents and ensure the delivery of essential supplies, while safe passage would be facilitated for a humanitarian convoy to Oleshky.
Ukraine’s General Staff said it would begin a localized ceasefire at 3 am Kyiv time on the same day to deliver aid to residents and ensure civilians could leave safely and without hindrance.
Under the arrangement, civilian representatives from Russia and Ukraine will assess residents’ needs. People who want to leave will receive coordinated transport to destinations in either country, while a US media organization will accompany the teams to document the process, the White House said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the duration of the operation was uncertain, but it could last several days.
Oleshky’s population fell from 24,000 before the war
The truce comes as Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for the worsening humanitarian crisis in Oleshky, which Russian forces captured in 2022.
The city had a prewar population of about 24,000. Estimates suggest only 1,700 to 2,000 people remain, many of them older residents who are unable to leave.
The collapse of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine in June 2023 caused extensive flooding in nearby communities, including Oleshky. Homes were destroyed and thousands of people fled; Ukraine and Russia each accused the other of deliberately destroying the dam.
