Oleshky Ceasefire Delays Aid for 1,700 Residents Until Oct. 29
White House confirms truce terms after six-day wait, with evacuation routes opening only after Russian fire stops on Oct. 27.
By Tyler Khalil ·
Between 1,700 and 2,000 residents of Oleshky will wait until Oct. 29 for humanitarian aid to begin flowing under a newly agreed ceasefire. The White House announced the truce on Friday, crediting First Lady Melania Trump with securing the arrangement. The delay means the population, which includes roughly 50 children, faces a six-day gap before aid teams can enter the city.
The localized truce follows a period of intense diplomatic activity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff earlier in the week. Russian President Vladimir Putin also engaged with Pope Leo by telephone last week, signaling readiness to co-operate. These conversations laid the groundwork for the current agreement, which aims to halt military action in the front-line city.
The White House stated that non-military teams from both nations will visit residents in their homes. These teams will help arrange transport for civilians wishing to leave for either Russia or Ukraine. The operation relies on a designated safe passage to facilitate the evacuation. The Kremlin confirmed that Russian forces will stop firing from 4 a.m. local time on Oct. 27 to support the effort.
Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has a drastically reduced population compared to pre-war levels. The city once held roughly 24,000 people. Today, about 90 percent of the area is flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Melania Trump described the situation as dire, noting that the remaining residents are mostly elderly and in urgent need of medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.
Ukraine's chief negotiator, David Arakhamia, confirmed on Telegram that the humanitarian operation will commence once the ceasefire takes hold. He noted that the accord creates a corridor for both departing civilians and incoming assistance. The Kremlin praised the role of Trump in the process and stated that work is already under way to ease conditions in the city.
The truce announcement coincides with other diplomatic developments. Zelenskyy indicated that technical-level talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are scheduled for Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. He emphasized that any final peace deal must include strong security guarantees and 10 years of funding for Ukraine's military.
Fighting continued on Friday despite the upcoming truce. Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport suspended operations briefly due to a Ukrainian drone threat. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that air defences downed 21 drones over a two-hour period. The two sides also exchanged 270 prisoners each. Ukraine's acting prosecutor general, Anton Kovalskyi, reported that more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, have been killed since the full-scale invasion began.
