2,000 people trapped in Oleshky as Ukraine-Russia ceasefire takes effect
A localized pause in fighting began Tuesday to allow an aid mission into the Russian-occupied town, though missile strikes continued in Kyiv.
By Kenji Yamamoto ·
Up to 2,000 residents are currently stranded in Oleshky, a town in southern Ukraine, with limited access to food and medicine. A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect at 3 a.m. Tuesday to facilitate a humanitarian mission into the area.
The pause in fighting was arranged by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. Her office stated that she led discussions with civilian negotiators from both nations after receiving a briefing from U.N. officials regarding the conditions in the town. The aid convoy is scheduled to arrive later this week.
Negotiators confirmed that the mission will deliver doctors, medications, food, and water to the residents. Evacuation corridors are planned to open after the supplies reach the town. The local ceasefire is expected to remain in place through Saturday, although it could be extended.
Despite the local truce, attacks continued in other parts of the country. Minutes after the ceasefire began, ballistic missile explosions were reported in Kyiv, triggering air alerts across multiple regions. City officials said one person was killed and ten were injured when Russian missiles damaged a university campus in the capital late Monday. Two people were also killed and four injured in strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
Ulehsky is located in the Kherson region, approximately 340 miles southeast of Kyiv. Russian forces captured the town on the first day of their full-scale invasion in 2022. The area suffered further damage in June 2023 when floodwaters from a collapsed dam inundated the settlement. The Dnipro River separates the town from the city of Kherson, where Russian forces had previously established an administrative presence before retreating.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted online following the late Monday strikes, stating that the attacks demonstrated Russia's desire to continue waging war. The current humanitarian effort is being prepared ahead of a new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks expected next month. Those discussions aim to end the conflict, which has persisted for more than four and a half years.
Source: KNKX Public Radio
