The team of the first lady of the United States Melania Trump has expressed readiness to join in providing assistance to the residents of Aleshki in the Kherson region. This was announced by the Russian Ombudsman Yana Lantratova, who stated that she is in contact with Melania Trump's team.
According to her, talks are underway to organize the delivery of humanitarian supplies and the evacuation of people in need of emergency assistance. “Complex negotiations are currently underway to organize the delivery of humanitarian cargo and the evacuation of people in need of emergency assistance“, Lantratova said.
Mutual accusations over the blockade
Lantratova said that the residents of the city continue to experience a shortage of food, water and medicines. She said supplies were being hampered by Ukrainian drone attacks and remotely placed mines on the roads.
The Russian ombudsman described an "artificially created blockade" as the main cause of the humanitarian crisis and accused the Ukrainian armed forces of hindering supplies and evacuations. She also said that the last volunteer convoy with cars marked "People" was destroyed in strikes by Ukrainian forces.
These allegations are part of the Russian version of the situation in Aleshki. The published reports do not state the position of the Ukrainian authorities on the allegations, nor is there any independent confirmation of the data on the attacks, the mining of the routes and the destruction of the column.
The contact was discussed between Putin and Trump
The topic of Aleshki was discussed during the telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on October 9. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov reported that Lantratova will maintain constant contact with Melania Trump's team due to the humanitarian situation in the city.
According to Ushakov, Putin thanked the US first lady for her humanitarian work and for her efforts to reunite families separated during the conflict in Ukraine. No specific deadline has been announced for the delivery of aid or for the evacuation from Aleshki.
Aleshki is located on the left bank of the Dnieper, about 5 kilometers from Kherson. The Russian side claims to have controlled the city since 2022.
Sources: rbc.ru, kommersant.ru