Oleshky receives aid as US-brokered truce enters day three
Buses and supplies arrived in the Russian-held town after demining operations, though officials warn the pause does not signal a wider ceasefire.
By Kwame Montgomery ·
A convoy of relief supplies entered Oleshky in southern Ukraine on Friday, marking the third day of a localized ceasefire mediated by the United States.
Russian state media reported that the convoy delivered food and medical essentials to the town, which sits in the Kherson region. Two people died during the demining operations that cleared the route for the aid operation, according to Yana Lantratova, the Russian human rights commissioner. A fleet of 25 buses, providing at least 750 seats, stands ready to transport residents who wish to evacuate. Lantratova stated that these departures would continue until 2 p.m. local time on Friday.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian human rights commissioner, met with Lantratova in Oleshky overnight, Vesti reported. Lubinets issued a statement confirming that remaining residents could leave safely. He emphasized the need to maintain the six-day truce to ensure the safety of those staying in the city.
The White House credits First Lady Melania Trump with mediating the pause in fighting. She told officials in September that the town was on the brink of disaster, with supplies running low for the estimated 2,000 people still living there. The White House noted that she initiated talks after learning about the humanitarian crisis during the United Nations General Assembly. Oleshky, which had a population of about 24,000 before the war, currently lacks electricity, heat, and running water as winter approaches.
The Vatican has presented a different account, claiming the Pope helped secure the pause through phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV on Friday that the Oleshky situation is an isolated case. He warned that this local truce should not be extrapolated to the broader peace settlement process.
While the truce holds in Oleshky, fighting continues elsewhere. Ukrainian officials said Russia struck an industrial facility near Kremenchuk and hit targets in Kyiv and Kharkiv on Friday. Moscow claimed it targeted energy infrastructure in Kyiv and the Dnipropetrovsk region, along with port facilities in the Odesa region. In the Russian capital, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced on Telegram that authorities downed most of the more than 850 drones that flew toward Moscow overnight.
Source: Al Jazeera
