Rare Truce Holds for Humanitarian Aid in Oleshky

A humanitarian mission entered the devastated city of Oleshky on Friday, officials said, as Russia and Ukraine observed a significant truce in the conflict. A convoy carrying buses, ambulances, and aid supplies was slated to arrive in the Russian-occupied city to provide food and medicine and to evacuate residents.

About 2,000 people remain in Oleshky, according to authorities and volunteers. The localized ceasefire in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region has reportedly held for four days and is scheduled to continue through Sunday evening to facilitate the operation.

"Everyone who wishes to leave Oleshky will have the opportunity to do so safely," Russia and Ukraine stated in identical joint statements. "Those who choose to stay may remain and will receive all the humanitarian support they need."

Officials from both nations collaborated on this rare joint humanitarian effort. The United States played a central role in the mission, which the White House said was brokered by first lady Melania Trump. Pope Leo XIV also urged Russian and Ukrainian leaders to assist Oleshky.

Fighting continued elsewhere, however. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses downed over 1,000 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles and numerous drones.

The convoy assembled in Armiansk, a town in Russian-occupied Ukraine approximately 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Oleshky, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman and chief negotiator. Demining of designated routes into the city was completed late Thursday, officials reported, with two individuals killed during the process.

Video shared by Lubinets’ office depicted him interacting with older residents in Oleshky. Lubinets indicated that evacuations would proceed until 2 p.m. local time, followed by aid distribution 30 minutes later. The specific time zone—Ukrainian or western Russian—was not clarified.

Ksenia Arkhipova, a volunteer who formerly resided in Oleshky and maintains contact with residents, stated that a substantial number of Russian military personnel are present in the city. She reported that Russian forces are checking empty houses and, in some instances, occupying them, while also pressuring local residents to evacuate to Russia rather than Ukraine. Arkhipova mentioned that approximately 1,000 residents had expressed a desire to leave, emphasizing the importance of the Ukrainian delegation's presence due to fears of interrogation or detention by Russian authorities.

The evacuation route was not disclosed. Ukrainian-held territory is situated just a few kilometers (miles) across the Dnipro River from Oleshky. However, Ukrainian public television reported that those heading to Ukraine would undertake a journey of hundreds of kilometers (miles), entering the country via its northern border with Belarus.

Authorities have extended invitations to a limited number of Russian, Ukrainian, and U.S. media organizations to cover the operation in Oleshky.