Russia has halted strikes on Ukraine’s Kherson province under a localised truce that clears the way for a humanitarian mission led by US First Lady Melania Trump. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the pause began at 01:00 GMT on Tuesday.
The aid operation is due to reach the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, in southern Kherson, later this week. It is meant to deliver supplies and allow evacuations from the front-line town, where food, medicine and other essentials are in severe short supply.
Agreement and aid plans for Oleshky
The deal was announced on October 23 and brokered by Trump, with Pope Leo also taking part. Washington is trying to revive peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv after more than four and a half years of war.
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The United Nations said up to 2,000 people are still in Oleshky and cannot leave because of explosive mines and drone attacks in the area. Negotiators said doctors, medicines, food and water would be brought in before evacuation corridors open.
The localised ceasefire is set to run through Saturday, or possibly longer, despite deep mistrust between Russia and Ukraine that has undermined earlier truce attempts.
Wartime damage and flooding in the town
Oleshky, which had a pre-war population of 24,000, sits on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, across from Kherson city, which Ukrainian forces hold. Russian troops seized the town in the first days of the February 2022 invasion and have controlled it since.
The town has suffered extensive war damage and was badly flooded after the Kakhovka Dam was destroyed in 2023.
