Melania Trump’s One-City Truce Takes Effect in Occupied Oleshky
A local ceasefire began overnight in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, on the Dnipro in Kherson region, a week after it was announced by the US First Lady. Both Kyiv and Moscow say it is holding. It is meant to let aid in and allow civilians out, with an evacuation planned for Friday.
Russia’s defence ministry said it stopped firing at 01:00 GMT. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed it: “As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honouring its commitments.” Oleshky had 24,000 people before the war; Ukrainian estimates of those left vary, from about 1,700 in the town to 6,000 including surrounding areas, and residents describe cooking garden weeds. There has been no electricity, gas or water for three years. Some fear Russia will not let evacuees reach Ukraine, or will search their phones. The truce is narrow: the same day Russia struck Kyiv, killing a woman of 46, and claimed 222 Ukrainian drones downed.