Oleshky Truce Holds for 30 Hours as Kherson Falls Quiet

The first 30 hours of the humanitarian ceasefire around Russian-occupied Oleshky passed without incidents, Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on Wednesday, Oct. 28, as neighboring Kherson experienced a rare respite from Russian attacks.Lubinets announced the update in a Telegram post, crediting sustained communication between the Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“Thirty hours of silence in Oleshky without a single incident,” he wrote.The ombudsman said he remained in contact with his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, to coordinate implementation of the agreement.He also thanked US First Lady Melania Trump and her team for their involvement in the humanitarian mission, describing her direct participation and coordination as important to the process.The shared objective, Lubinets said, was to provide assistance to civilians in Oleshky and create conditions for those who needed to leave safely.A day without new attacksThe lull was also reflected in local authorities’ morning reports.Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said no shelling or strikes on civilian and critical infrastructure had been recorded over the preceding day, Suspilne reported.Four people sought medical assistance for injuries sustained in earlier Russian attacks. Five residents were evacuated from dangerous communities on the Ukrainian-controlled right bank.Kherson military administration chief Yaroslav Shanko separately reported that the city’s community had experienced no Russian shelling or drone attacks during the reporting period. Other Topics of Interest Zelensky Wants Abu Dhabi Talks Before ‘New Yalta,’ Warns NATO Against Russian Demands Ukraine wants to meet with US and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi before US-China-Russia talks, as Zelensky warns against a “new Yalta” and rejects Russian demands for NATO to roll back its presence in Europe. ‘I feel free’Across the Dnipro River, in Ukrainian-held Kherson, residents described a sense of relief in a Suspilne report filmed on Tuesday, Oct. 27.“I feel free,” said resident Sofiia, describing going to work and breathing more easily as people returned to the streets.Halyna Kyrychenko, displaced from the Beryslav district, welcomed the calmer conditions but remained apprehensive.“More people are walking around now, but the anxiety is still there,” she said.Barista Marharyta noticed substantially more customers venturing outside and expressed hope that the mission would help people trapped in Oleshky.The pause also changed conditions for emergency responders. By 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, ambulance services had received more than 40 requests for assistance, none involving injuries from shelling or drone attacks, according to emergency medical official Lina Bondareva.Municipal workers used the lull to remove rubbish, board up windows, and repair roofs near the river. They continued wearing helmets and body armor and carrying drone detectors, municipal official Andrii Zaluzhnyi said.Aid and evacuation remain the priorityThe ceasefire began at 3 a.m. Kyiv time on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and is scheduled to remain in force until 10:59 p.m. on Nov. 1.The humanitarian operation envisages clearing mines from access routes, delivering essential supplies, and enabling civilians to leave voluntarily.Parliamentary faction leader David Arakhamia described the arrangement as the largest de-escalation since 2022, crediting Melania Trump’s initiative.Ukraine’s Marine Corps also confirmed Russian compliance during the ceasefire’s opening hours and said Ukrainian Marines were monitoring developments on the ground.Oleshky, on the Russian-occupied left bank of the Dnipro River opposite Kherson, has faced severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.The White House estimates that 1,700-2,000 people remain in the city, including elderly residents and around 50 children, compared with a pre-invasion population of approximately 24,000.The mission’s stated aim includes allowing residents to choose where they evacuate. President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously warned that Russian forces could manipulate demining arrangements to direct civilians toward Russia rather than Ukrainian-controlled territory.Lubinets’ latest update confirmed that the ceasefire was holding, but did not announce completed evacuations or provide a tally of aid delivered. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.