Convoy enters Oleshky as rare ceasefire holds
Aid workers and evacuees are moving through the devastated city in southern Ukraine, where roughly 2,000 residents remain.
By Amina Howard ·
Residents of Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine, gained a rare window to leave their homes on Friday. A convoy of 25 buses, ambulances, and aid vehicles entered the Russian-occupied town to deliver food and medicine. The operation also facilitated the evacuation of people wishing to cross into either Russia or Ukraine.
The localized ceasefire in the Kherson region has held for four days. Authorities expect the truce to continue through Sunday evening. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's ombudsman and chief negotiator, stated that the evacuation process would conclude at 2 p.m. local time. Aid distribution was scheduled to begin 30 minutes after the evacuation window closed. Lubinets did not specify whether this time referred to Ukrainian or western Russian time, which is one hour ahead.
Before the convoy arrived, teams completed the demining of designated routes into the city late Thursday. Two workers were killed during that process. The convoy staged in Armyansk, a town about 85 kilometers south of Oleshky. The specific path evacuees would take to cross the River Dnipro, which lies just a couple of kilometers from the city, was not made public.
Ksenia Arkhipova, a local volunteer, told The Associated Press on Thursday that approximately 1,000 residents had expressed a desire to leave. She noted that the presence of the Ukrainian delegation was important to many. Arkhipova said some residents feared Russian authorities might interrogate or detain them during the transition.
Russian and Ukrainian officials released identical statements regarding the operation. They noted that anyone wishing to depart would have a safe opportunity to do so. Those choosing to stay would receive necessary humanitarian support. The White House announced that First Lady Melania Trump brokered the mission. Pope Leo XIV also urged the leaders of both nations to assist the city.
The rest of the country saw continued fighting. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed air defenses shot down more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles and dozens of drones in return. A small number of Russian, Ukrainian, and U.S. media organizations were invited to document the humanitarian effort in Oleshky.
