Ukraine, Russia begin Melania Trump-brokered ceasefire to allow aid deliveries in occupied Oleshky
Ceasefire takes effect
Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said Kyiv was honoring the agreement. He wrote on Facebook that the Ukrainian side was meeting its commitments. Whether fighting had actually decreased could not be independently verified.
Residents face severe shortages
Ukrainian and US estimates put the number of people remaining in Oleshky at about 2,000, including up to 50 children. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the town had around 24,000 residents.
The United Nations says people there face severe shortages of food and medicine. Mines and drone attacks have made it difficult to leave. Former residents told AFP earlier this year that some people were hunting pigeons or relying on food grown in gardens.
Aid and evacuation plans
The town suffered further damage in June 2023, when the Kakhovka dam collapse caused widespread flooding. Melania Trump said civilian officials from Russia and Ukraine would visit residents to assess their needs.
Doctors, food, drinking water and medicine are expected to arrive before evacuation corridors open. Melania Trump said people wishing to leave would receive coordinated support and transport to a destination of their choice, adding that some might choose Russia and others Ukraine.
Ukraine has accused Russia of preventing residents from leaving; Moscow denies the allegation. Neither side has said who will monitor the truce, and accounts differ on its duration, with one saying it may last through Saturday.
Attacks continue elsewhere
Russian missile attacks continued in other parts of Ukraine as the localized ceasefire began. Witnesses reported explosions in Kyiv shortly after 3 a.m., while air raid alerts sounded across several regions.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said attacks damaged the Southern Bridge and related subway infrastructure. City authorities suspended traffic on the bridge. A Russian missile attack on Kyiv on Monday killed at least one person and injured 10, including students at a dormitory. Further attacks caused casualties in Kharkiv and Pavlohrad.
Key points
- The localized ceasefire began at 3 a.m. Tuesday to prepare aid deliveries to Oleshky.
- About 2,000 people, including up to 50 children, remain in the town amid severe shortages.
- The ceasefire was brokered by Melania Trump, but its duration and impact remain unclear.
- Russian missile attacks continued elsewhere, including in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Pavlohrad.