Ukraine evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky reach Kyiv-controlled territory after months of requests

Oleshky residents leave occupied city

Residents of Oleshky, in southern Ukraine, were able to leave the Russian-occupied city after a localized truce was reportedly brokered by Melania Trump. Ukraine had spent months asking Russia to allow evacuations.

Food delivery supplies to the city stopped earlier this year. The report did not give the number of people who left or further details about the truce.

Ukraine reports strikes on Russian targets

Kyiv said it hit a Russian plant that produces solid fuel for rockets and missiles. Ukraine also reported strikes on military depots in occupied Ukrainian territory. Separately, a Russian governor said a drone attack caused significant damage to an industrial facility east of Moscow. Gleb Nikitin of Nizhny Novgorod said more than 100 drones were destroyed and preliminary information showed no casualties; he did not identify the damaged site.

Strikes disrupt Ukrainian power

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said overnight Russian strikes on energy infrastructure in four Ukrainian regions left hundreds of thousands of households without electricity. He said the strikes were intense and accused Russia of taking advantage of Ukraine’s shortage of interceptors for ballistic missiles.

Peace talks and diplomatic contacts

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia wanted the first rounds of renewed peace negotiations to involve only Moscow, Kyiv and Washington. He said working contacts with the United States made a trilateral format logical, and was quoted by Interfax.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was not a concession, but that officials must engage with adversaries. The G20 foreign ministers skipped their traditional group photo in Atlanta amid objections from several European countries, Australia and Canada to appearing alongside Lavrov.