Four journalists from the American television channel Newsmax will be in Oleshki, Kherson region, to monitor and document the humanitarian mission in the city. They will work as neutral observers together with Russian and Ukrainian representatives, announced US First Lady Melania Trump.
“Four American journalists from Newsmax will be on the ground in Oleshki“, Trump wrote. According to her, the media representatives will independently film the operation.
The humanitarian mission involves delivering food, medicine, water and hygiene materials, as well as preparing for the evacuation of civilians. According to the Associated Press, the first step is to clear the routes to the city before supplies and evacuations begin.
The silence regime is linked to the operation
Oleshki is located on the left bank of the Dnieper, near Kherson, and has been under Russian control since 2022. The city is divided by Ukrainian positions along the river. According to the Associated Press, it has been short of food and medical supplies for months, and electricity, heating and running water have been cut off. Before the war, its population was about 24,000.
The Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, announced a ceasefire regime in the Kherson direction due to the humanitarian operation. The Russian side indicated that it would conduct engineering reconnaissance and ensure the safe movement of the humanitarian convoy.
RBK quoted Russian Ombudsman Yana Lantratova as saying that the simultaneous ceasefire would last until 22:59 Moscow time on November 1. The Associated Press described the agreement as a pause of several days, which indicates a difference in the publicly stated deadlines.
The team will document the evacuation
American journalists will be included in the work of Russian and Ukrainian humanitarian representatives, but according to Melania Trump, they will independently record what is happening on the ground. Earlier, her adviser Mark Beckman said that the journalists will document the delivery of aid and the decisions of residents whether and where to evacuate.
The mission is expected to last about a week and end in early November, according to information cited by RBC. If the operation is not completed within this period, its extension will depend on a new agreement between the Russian and Ukrainian sides.
Sources: rbc.ru, apnews.com, bfm.ru