Oleshky truce starts Oct. 29 as 2,000 residents await aid

Russia and Ukraine will pause military action in the occupied city of Oleshky starting Oct. 29, the White House announced on Friday. The localized ceasefire aims to deliver humanitarian aid to a population of 1,700 to 2,000 residents who face a worsening food crisis. The White House credited First Lady Melania Trump with securing the arrangement, noting her direct negotiations with Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

According to the White House statement, the truce will halt all military operations in the city. This pause allows non-military teams from both nations to enter and prepare a civilian evacuation along a designated safe passage. Melania Trump described the situation as dire in a written statement, noting that the remaining population consists mostly of elderly residents who need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.

Oleshky sits across the Dnipro River from Kherson. The White House stated that approximately 90 percent of the city is flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. The current population includes about 50 children, a sharp decline from the pre-war figure of roughly 24,000. Under the agreement, teams will visit homes to help arrange transport for anyone wishing to leave for either Russia or Ukraine.

David Arakhamia, Ukraine's top negotiator, confirmed on Telegram that the humanitarian operation begins once the ceasefire takes effect. He stated that the accord resulted from a long process involving both Melania Trump and Pope Leo. The plan creates a corridor for residents to exit and for assistance to enter the zone.

The Kremlin said the evacuation will take at least a few days. Russian forces will stop firing from 4 a.m. local time on Oct. 27 to support the operation, according to Valery Gerasimov, the Russian Chief of the General Staff. The Kremlin praised Melania Trump and noted that President Vladimir Putin told Pope Leo by telephone last week that he was ready to cooperate on the issue.

Separate diplomatic efforts are underway in Abu Dhabi. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that technical-level talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States will occur in the first half of November. Zelenskyy told the Hudson Institute that he spoke with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff after their meeting with Putin. He stated that any peace deal would require strong security guarantees and 10 years of funding for the Ukrainian army.

Fighting continued on Friday despite the upcoming truce. Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport briefly suspended operations due to a Ukrainian drone threat. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defences downed 21 drones over a two-hour period. The two sides also exchanged 270 prisoners each. Anton Kovalskyi, Ukraine's acting prosecutor general, reported that more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, have been killed since the full-scale invasion began.