Russia Halts Strikes on Kherson as Localised Ceasefire Takes Effect in Oleshky
Russia has suspended strikes on Ukraine's Kherson province as a localised ceasefire takes effect ahead of a humanitarian mission led by United States First Lady Melania Trump.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the pause in fighting started at 01:00 GMT on Tuesday to allow an aid mission later this week into the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Kherson.
The mission will enable aid deliveries and allow evacuations from the front-line town, which is suffering acute shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies.
The agreement was announced on 23 October and brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, with the additional involvement of Pope Leo, as Washington seeks to revive peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv after more than four and a half years of fighting.
According to the United Nations, up to 2,000 people remain in Oleshky. They have been unable to leave because of explosive mines and drone attacks in the area.
The town, which had a pre-war population of 24,000, lies on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in the partially occupied Kherson region, opposite Kherson city, which is held by Ukrainian forces. Russian troops seized Oleshky during the first days of their February 2022 invasion and have controlled it ever since.
Oleshky has suffered extensive war damage and was hit hard by flooding after the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in 2023.
The localised ceasefire is due to last through Saturday, or longer. Negotiators involved in the aid mission said doctors, medicines, food supplies and water would be taken to Oleshky before evacuation corridors are opened.
