Aid convoy reaches Oleshky as US-brokered ceasefire enters third day
Food and medical supplies arrived in the Russian-held Kherson town, while officials confirmed 25 buses are ready to evacuate up to 2,000 remaining residents.
By Marco Graham ·
Up to 2,000 residents remain in the Russian-held town of Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region, where an aid convoy entered on Friday following a localized ceasefire. The six-day truce, brokered by the United States, has held since Tuesday, allowing for the first major relief operation in weeks.
Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that the convoy carried food and medical supplies. Moscow emphasized that the pause in fighting in Oleshky is distinct from any wider ceasefire agreement between the two nations.
Ukraine Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, met in the city overnight. Lantratova stated that 25 buses with at least 750 seats are prepared to evacuate residents who wish to leave. The evacuation window closes at 2 p.m. local time, which is 12:00 GMT.
Lubinets said in a statement that remaining residents would be able to depart safely. He stressed the need to maintain the six-day ceasefire to ensure the operation continues. Russian state TV channel Vesti reported that the two officials met in Oleshky to coordinate the relief efforts.
The White House credited First Lady Melania Trump with mediating the truce. She reportedly initiated talks after hearing about the humanitarian crisis during a United Nations General Assembly event in September. The White House described the town as being on the brink of disaster, with supplies running low for the population.
Once home to approximately 24,000 people, Oleshky currently lacks electricity, heat, and running water as winter approaches. Russian and Ukrainian officials announced on Thursday that demining operations around the town were complete. Lantratova noted that two people were killed during the demining effort.
The Vatican offered a different account, suggesting that the pope helped secure the pause in fighting through phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the situation in Oleshky is an isolated case and should not be extrapolated to the broader peace settlement process.
Elsewhere in the conflict, Ukrainian officials said Russia struck an industrial facility near Kremenchuk while hitting Kyiv and Kharkiv. Moscow claimed it targeted energy infrastructure in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, port facilities in Odesa, and military cargo vessels. Russian capital mayor Sergei Sobyanin said authorities downed most of the more than 850 drones headed toward Moscow overnight.
