White House confirms Oleshky ceasefire begins October 27

The White House announced on Friday that Russian and Ukrainian forces will halt all military operations in Oleshky beginning October 27. The local ceasefire is designed to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians from the occupied city in southern Ukraine. First lady Melania Trump negotiated the terms, with her representative working directly with leaders from both sides. She stated that residents wishing to leave will receive coordinated transport to either Russia or Ukraine.

Oleshky has been under Russian control since February 2022. An estimated 2,000 people remain in the city, where shortages of food, water, and electricity have intensified. Residents reported surviving on boiled grass, weeds, and small rations. Ukrainian officials previously accused Russia of rejecting earlier calls for a humanitarian pause. Pope Leo XIV, the United Nations, and EU officials also urged a stop to fighting in the area. Ukraine's ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on October 18 that an agreement was close, though he did not cite the first lady's involvement at that time.

Lubinets detailed the upcoming mission on Friday, noting it will include demining roads into the town and distributing food. He said officials aim to deliver enough aid to meet the needs of everyone in the city. He added that the goal is to extend these efforts beyond a single event and beyond Oleshky alone. Ukrainian forces have already used drones to airdrop emergency supplies to the town in recent weeks.

Separately, Ukrainian forces continue to experience widespread disruption to the Starlink satellite network. This occurs despite President Donald Trump's claim that Elon Musk lifted restrictions on the service. The slowdown began last week after Trump and Musk criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over strikes on Russian oil refineries. Both Trump and Musk have denied responsibility for the outage. Trump told reporters on Friday that he would speak to Musk if the issue persisted.

Ukrainian officials reported that connection speeds remained capped at about 100 miles per hour throughout Friday. Serhii Beskrestnov, a military expert advising Zelenskyy, said no lifting of restrictions had been observed. The speed cap prevents Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, from staying connected during high-speed movement. This has hampered offensive operations and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke with Trump to stress the need for full access to the network.

Ukrainian and American relations have strained further due to the Starlink issue and temporary suspensions in intelligence sharing. Tensions flared when Washington lifted sanctions on Russia and began importing Russian diesel to lower US energy prices. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated on Friday that three tankers were heading to the US and that Russian companies could supply 500,000 metric tonnes of diesel in October. Russia also launched an overnight barrage on Ukraine on Friday. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said trilateral talks are expected to resume in Abu Dhabi in November. President Vladimir Putin told state television on Thursday that the lands lost by Kyiv are Russia's historical lands and insisted Moscow would achieve all objectives of the invasion.