1,700 to 2,000 Residents Remain in Oleshky as Ceasefire Set for Oct. 29

A temporary ceasefire is scheduled to begin in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky on Oct. 29, allowing humanitarian aid to reach a population estimated between 1,700 and 2,000 people. The White House announced the deal on Friday, stating that military action in the city will pause to facilitate the delivery of food, medicine, and clean water. This marks the first time the administration has publicly credited First Lady Melania Trump with brokering a specific military truce.

The primary objective of the agreement is to establish a safe passage for civilian evacuation. Non-military teams from both Russia and Ukraine will enter the city to visit residents and arrange transport for those wishing to leave for either country. The White House stated that the remaining population is predominantly elderly, with approximately 50 children among them. Before the war began, Oleshky had a population of roughly 24,000. The city is situated across the Dnipro River from Kherson, and the White House reported that about 90% of the urban area is flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.

Melania Trump described the conditions in Oleshky as dire in a statement released by the White House. She noted that the front-line city was on the brink of disaster, emphasizing the urgent need for medical attention and basic supplies for the elderly residents. Her representative worked directly with leadership from both Russia and Ukraine to define the terms of the localized truce.

Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia confirmed the arrangement on Telegram, stating that the humanitarian operation would commence once the ceasefire took hold. He attributed the accord to a lengthy process involving both Melania Trump and Pope Leo. The Kremlin indicated that the evacuation process would require at least a few days to complete. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov specified that Russian forces would cease firing from 4 a.m. local time on Oct. 27 to support the operation. The Kremlin said it was working to ease conditions in the city after President Vladimir Putin told Pope Leo he was ready to cooperate on the issue, following a telephone conversation between the two leaders last week.

These announcements come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts and recent tensions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that technical-level talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are planned for Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. He mentioned speaking with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff after their recent meeting with Putin. Zelenskyy stated that any final peace deal would require strong security guarantees and ten years of funding for the Ukrainian army.

Fighting continued across the front on Friday despite the announcement of the Oleshky truce. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport briefly suspended operations due to a Ukrainian drone threat. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that air defenses downed 21 drones heading for the capital over a two-hour period. Additionally, both sides exchanged 270 prisoners each. Anton Kovalskyi, Ukraine’s acting prosecutor general, said that more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, have been killed since the full-scale invasion began.