Russia, Ukraine Announce Oleshky Ceasefire Amid Continued Strikes
A temporary truce in Oleshky aims to facilitate humanitarian aid and evacuations, while missile attacks persist in Kyiv and other regions.
Russia and Ukraine have initiated a regional ceasefire to permit the commencement of a humanitarian effort in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, officials confirmed Tuesday. However, military strikes continue in other areas, including the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The ceasefire is intended to allow for the delivery of essential aid and the evacuation of civilians from Oleshky, a frontline town in southern Ukraine that is experiencing severe shortages of food and medicine. Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliamentary commissioner for human rights, stated on Facebook that the Ukrainian side is adhering to its commitments, confirming Russia's timeline for the halt in hostilities.
Russia's Ministry of Defense announced on Telegram that it ceased shelling in the direction of the Ukrainian city of Kherson from 4 a.m. Moscow time (0100 GMT) to facilitate the operation in Oleshky, which is situated across the Dnipro River from Kherson. Lubinets also indicated that the agreement was reached in coordination with U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, in cooperation with Russia's commissioner for human rights, Yana Lantratova.
Despite the localized ceasefire, new strikes on Tuesday impacted the Southern Bridge and subway infrastructure in Kyiv, prompting a suspension of traffic, according to city officials. A Reuters witness reported hearing explosions in the capital.
Oleshky is located on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region. Russian forces have controlled the town since its capture in the early stages of their February 2022 invasion. White House envoys have engaged with both parties in recent days to mediate a resolution to the conflict, Europe's deadliest since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously announced that peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States had agreed to hold technical-level discussions in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.
In parallel to the Oleshky ceasefire efforts, fresh attacks have been reported. A Russian missile strike on Kyiv resulted in at least one death and 15 injuries, including students in a dormitory, since Monday evening. Attacks also caused casualties in the cities of Kharkiv and Pavlohrad. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed on Telegram to have targeted transport infrastructure in Kyiv, a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region, along with industrial facilities and cargo vessels elsewhere that it asserted were being used for military purposes.
Separately, a drone attack in the western Russian city of Bryansk, near the border with Ukraine, killed one person and wounded six. Another person was killed and 30 were injured when a drone struck a bus in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, according to local officials. Reuters stated it could not independently verify these reports, and both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.