US-Brokered Truce Begins in Russian-Occupied Oleshky Amid Uncertainty Over Evacuations

Uncertainty remains over how a US-brokered ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky will be monitored and whether civilians can safely evacuate, even as Ukraine prepares to halt fighting early Tuesday, Oct. 27, to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid into the devastated southern Ukrainian city. Neither Kyiv, Moscow nor Washington has publicly identified an independent monitoring mechanism or disclosed detailed arrangements for the humanitarian operation, brokered with the involvement of US First Lady Melania Trump.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Monday evening that its forces would observe a ceasefire in a designated area starting at 3 a.m. Kyiv time Tuesday (9 p.m. Monday in Washington). The truce is intended to allow aid deliveries and prepare for civilians to leave Oleshky, where an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 people remain under Russian occupation, many of them elderly. But questions remain over the operation’s duration, safe passage for evacuees and whether the agreement will hold in a city that has endured years of fighting, flooding and severe shortages of food and medicine. Ukraine warns against sharing evacuation details In its latest Telegram statement, Ukraine’s General Staff said the ceasefire would apply exclusively to the humanitarian operation, including aid deliveries and preparations for civilian departures. It urged the public to rely on official sources and avoid circulating unverified reports about evacuation routes, convoy movements or the timing and location of humanitarian operations. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine, Moldova Sign New Military Cooperation Agreement, Vow to Join EU Together The two countries are also planning a joint control at two more border crossings. The military said Ukrainian forces were taking all possible measures to help Oleshky residents and ensure the safety of civilians. Ukraine’s military had previously used drones to deliver food and medicine to residents stranded in the occupied city and surrounding villages. However, Ukrainian officials have not confirmed when the first humanitarian convoy will enter Oleshky or when residents will begin leaving. The Russian military has said it will facilitate safe passage for a humanitarian convoy, including engineering reconnaissance of the route, according to AFP. Ukrainian ombudsman confirms agreement with Russia Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said he had discussed the humanitarian operation directly with Russia’s representative, Yana Lantratova, and confirmed that both sides had agreed on the same ceasefire start time. The agreement was reached after negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian humanitarian teams coordinated by the US first lady, he said. According to Lubinets, the arrangement involves several stages, including a cessation of hostilities, demining of routes, humanitarian deliveries and allowing residents to leave. “We have recorded all the agreements and signed an agreement,” Lubinets said in a Telegram statement. He cautioned that the operation would be exceptionally difficult and implemented gradually, promising to report on its progress. Ukrainian officials have emphasized that residents must be allowed to leave voluntarily. It remains unclear how their preferred destinations will be verified or whether international humanitarian organizations will participate directly. Melania Trump says civilians can choose where to go Announcing the agreement Friday, Oct. 23, Melania Trump said Russian and Ukrainian civilian officials would visit residents in their homes to assess their needs. Residents wishing to evacuate would receive transportation and assistance to their chosen destinations, she said. “I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” the first lady said in a White House statement. The White House initially announced Oct. 29 as the start date, but Ukrainian and Russian military authorities subsequently confirmed Oct. 27. The first lady also said an American media organization would accompany the operation to document how residents were treated. US television network Newsmax said it had been granted exclusive television access to accompany observers entering the city on Thursday. However, neither side has publicly explained who would independently verify compliance with the ceasefire or oversee the evacuation process. Residents ‘forgotten what bread is’ Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Ukrainian-held Kherson, was seized by Russian troops during the opening stages of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Its prewar population of approximately 24,000 has fallen to an estimated 1,700 to 2,000, including around 50 children, according to Ukrainian and US estimates. The city’s humanitarian conditions deteriorated further after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June 2023, which caused extensive flooding across the lower Dnipro region. Former residents told AFP that people still living in Oleshky were surviving on garden produce or hunting pigeons as food supplies dwindled. “They’ve forgotten what bread is. You need flour for bread, and there’s not even flour left,” Olga, who remained in contact with two families in the city, told AFP. Many residents are also without reliable electricity, medical supplies and access to clean water. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly reported that Russian occupation forces have prevented civilians from leaving Oleshky, restricting evacuation routes and leaving residents stranded amid worsening humanitarian conditions. Russian representative Lantratova said Monday that most residents who wanted to depart had already done so voluntarily. However, Ukrainian officials and volunteers have warned that remaining residents may face significant obstacles when attempting to evacuate through Russian-controlled territory. Fears over evacuation and monitoring The humanitarian operation presents particular challenges because Oleshky remains under Russian military control and sits close to the active front line. Ukrainian Pravda reported Monday that the initial stages of the operation were expected to involve demining routes and delivering humanitarian supplies before civilians could leave. Lubinets said Ukrainian officials intended to monitor implementation of the agreement and verify conditions inside the city. For now, neither side has announced how long the ceasefire will last or provided a public timetable for completing the evacuation. The limited truce comes as broader US-mediated peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are expected to resume in November after months without substantive progress.