A US-brokered local truce between Ukraine and Russia appeared to hold on Tuesday, October 27, allowing humanitarian aid and planned evacuations for trapped residents of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, in the Kherson region. The Oleshky truce, according to the Straits Times, began at 3am local time, and neither side reported violations after several hours.
US First Lady Melania Trump announced the truce on October 23, the Straits Times reported. She said civilian officials from both countries would visit residents to determine their assistance needs.
On Tuesday, Melania Trump said on X that the ceasefire area had expanded beyond Oleshky within the Kherson region to provide safe passage for humanitarian convoys, according to BBC World.
Under the deal, aid deliveries to Oleshky are possible on Thursday and an evacuation is planned for Friday, BBC World reported. The truce runs until 22:59 Ukrainian time on Sunday, November 1.
An estimated 1,700 to 2,000 people remain in Oleshky itself, down from 24,000 before the war, according to Ukrainian and US estimates cited by BBC World.
Russia’s defence ministry said its units were clearing the main access roads into the village of explosive and booby-trap devices, BBC World reported. Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied Kherson areas, said temporary accommodation had been prepared in Crimea and Russian border regions, according to the Straits Times. He said evacuees would need to wait until the mined road was cleared. BBC World reported that Saldo also claimed most Oleshky residents want to leave for Russia, a claim that has not been corroborated on the ground.
Russian forces seized Oleshky in the first days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The city has had no electricity, gas or water since the Kakhovka Dam was blown up in 2023.
Pope Leo earlier this month appealed to Putin and Zelensky to allow aid and safe evacuation. BBC reports that he was involved in brokering the truce.
US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume in November. They have been effectively frozen since February.
The key facts rely heavily on the BBC, with the Straits Times providing the timing of the truce’s start and the accounts from Saldo and Melania Trump’s October 23 announcement. The Japan Times had only a headline and short excerpt, so its details could not be checked. AFP could not immediately verify details of the humanitarian mission or whether fighting had decreased. No independent confirmation of the road clearance or evacuation logistics was available, and many details of the evacuation plans remain unclear. Newsmax reported exclusive access for observers entering the city on October 29, but no further account of that visit was available. At the time of reporting, the aid convoy arrival and the Friday evacuation had not yet happened.
Road clearance and aid deliveries may begin Thursday, and an evacuation is planned for Friday. The truce runs to November 1, and US-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks resume in November.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.