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Truce begins in Ukraine city where residents ate weeds to survive
Confirmed
In Short: A ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump has begun in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine's Kherson region.
The truce, which began on October 29, aims to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations from Oleshky, a city where residents have endured severe hardships.
According to the White House, the ceasefire was secured after negotiations involving the Vatican, which Pope Leo XIV had previously urged Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider.
The city, which was seized by Russian forces in February 2022, is now estimated to house around 6,000 people, including 200 children, who have been living under dire conditions.
The truce is set to facilitate the delivery of food and medical assistance and the voluntary and safe evacuation of civilians.
Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, had earlier described Oleshky as a 'death trap,' citing the failure of Russian authorities to uphold previously agreed arrangements for humanitarian missions.
The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine for the crisis but has backed the Vatican’s initiative, signaling a willingness to cooperate.
Despite the truce, many residents remain skeptical. One resident expressed doubt, saying, 'I don't believe in Russia's humanity.'
The city has faced intense bombardments, with residents resorting to eating weeds to survive.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that Ukraine's Defense Forces would carry out all orders regarding the mission in Oleshky, with the expectation of guaranteed access to the city.
The ceasefire is scheduled to take effect at 3 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) and aims to provide a safe passage for humanitarian aid and evacuations.
The situation in Oleshky highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, where civilians continue to suffer amid the conflict.
The Vatican’s initiative and the subsequent truce brokered by the US First Lady represent a significant step towards alleviating the suffering of those trapped in the war zone.
What's confirmed
- Ukraine now estimates some 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in the city and its surrounding areas.
- US First Lady Melania Trump has helped broker a localised ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-hit Ukrainian city of Oleshky, the White House announced on Friday, October 23.
- Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram it had stopped firing toward the Ukrainian city of Kherson - across the river from Oleshky - at 04:00 Moscow time (01:00 GMT) in preparation for the humanitarian operation.
- The Vatican said that Pope Leo “expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance, and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population”.
What's still developing
- "Both nations agreed to temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway," a White House statement said.
- “The missiles hit very crowded areas, and there is not a single military facility nearby. This was a strike directly on the city, on its infrastructure,” he said on social media.
- The fire broke out on 14 September near an arms factory in the central city of Brasov and two Belarusians and a Ukrainian – residents in EU countries – were involved, authorities said.
- Both sides said they would observe the truce starting at 3 a.m. local time (0100 GMT).
- The war-ravaged city in Ukraine's southern Kherson region has been caught in middle of the fighting since 2022, when it was seized by Russian forces at the start of their invasion.
- Russian strikes launched against Ukraine overnight into Saturday included 27 ballistic missiles and only one of them was intercepted, “simply because there are no interceptors for the Patriot system”, Zelenskyy said.
- “Our targets are consistently defined facilities that sustain the war effort,” Zelenskyy said.
- The call suggests the pontiff, who is recovering from a lung cancer operation, is still hard at work Pope Leo spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Friday, calling for a ceasefire in a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine, as he recovers in hospital from a lung cancer operation.
- On the night of July 30, Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles at Lviv, a city just 45 miles from the Polish border, killing a 35-year-old police officer and injuring 38 people.
- “People can’t get out, food can’t get in, and sick and injured are not getting the medical assistance they need,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU.
- More than 600 drones and dozens of missiles, such as advanced hypersonics, were fired on Ukraine, according to the military, hitting key civilian infrastructure.
- Last month the Kremlin warned of “consistent, systematic strikes” on “specific sites” in Ukraine – prompting Kyiv to push back against “Russian blackmail and threats.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Tuesday of the possibility of further attacks.