2,000 Oleshky Residents Await Aid Until Oct. 29 Ceasefire

The White House announced Friday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, with the pause set to begin on Oct. 29. This timeline leaves approximately 2,000 residents waiting six days for humanitarian aid to arrive.

The city sits across the Dnipro River from Kherson and holds between 1,700 and 2,000 people, including about 50 children. The population has dropped from roughly 24,000 before the war, and the White House reported that about 90 per cent of the city is flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.

The agreement allows non-military teams from both nations to enter homes and arrange transport for civilians wishing to leave for either Russia or Ukraine. The White House credited Melania Trump with securing the deal, noting that she and her representative worked directly with leadership from both countries. In a statement, Melania Trump described the situation as dire, stating that the remaining population is mostly elderly and in urgent need of medicine, food, and clean water.

Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia confirmed on Telegram that the humanitarian operation will commence once the ceasefire holds. He noted that the accord followed a lengthy process involving both Melania Trump and Pope Leo. The Kremlin stated that an evacuation would require at least a few days and praised Melania Trump for her role.

Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov announced that forces will stop firing from 4 a.m. local time on Oct. 27 to support the operation. The Kremlin indicated that President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with Pope Leo last week, during which the president expressed readiness to co-operate on the issue.

Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that technical-level talks are scheduled for Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. He spoke with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff after their meeting with Putin. Zelenskyy stated that any peace deal requires strong security guarantees and ten years of funding for Ukraine's army.

The announcements come amid continued fighting. On Friday, Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport suspended operations briefly due to a drone threat, and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that air defences downed 21 drones over two hours. The two sides also exchanged 270 prisoners each. Ukrainian acting prosecutor general Anton Kovalskyi said more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, have been killed since the invasion began.