Oleshki could become a starting point on the path to lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine, said US First Lady Melania Trump after the end of a humanitarian mission in the occupied city in the Kherson region.
„The ceasefire in Oleshki and surrounding areas of the Kherson region has given residents freedom of movement and access to food, clean water and medicine, allowing them to regain their sense of dignity, without the constant threat of attack“, Trump wrote on the social network X. „Let Oleshki become a starting point on the path to lasting peace.“
Aid and evacuation
The local ceasefire began on October 27 and ended late on November 1. The White House said Melania Trump helped negotiate it between Russia and Ukraine. The goal was to provide access for humanitarian aid and a safe route for civilians who wanted to leave the city.
According to the Associated Press, about 2,000 residents remained in Oleshki. They could choose whether to be evacuated to territory under Ukrainian or Russian control, or to remain in the city, where food and medical supplies were delivered. According to the agency, a convoy of 25 buses, ambulances, trucks and other vehicles arrived in the area after the routes were demined.
Melania Trump said that the convoy could safely evacuate more than 750 people. However, Russia and Ukraine have not announced the final number of people who left Oleshki. The evacuees, who chose Ukrainian territory, passed through Russia and Belarus before reaching Ukraine.
The ceasefire ended without any reported violations
The Anadolu Agency reported that the ceasefire ended without any violations reported by either side. The humanitarian mission ended on October 30, and the evacuation efforts continued until the end of the agreed period.
Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova participated in the operation. Lubinets described the mission as “unique” and said that the same model could be used for other settlements blocked by the war.
Lantratova suggested that coordinated humanitarian missions become a regular initiative. Ukrainian and Russian representatives are discussing the possibility of continuing such operations, but no date has been announced for a new ceasefire.
Sources: apnews.com, aa.com.tr