Thursday 29 October 2026
The Oleshky ceasefire holds into its third day, demining crews are at work, and the Kremlin says aid may reach the town on Thursday or Friday
Neither Ukraine nor Russia has reported a violation of the six day ceasefire around Oleshky, as of October 29, and the truce is in its third day. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said demining is under way and that Moscow hopes residents will receive humanitarian aid safely on Thursday or Friday and that people who want to leave will be able to leave. Russia's human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova traveled toward Oleshky on Thursday with four journalists from the American outlet Newsmax.
The ceasefire came into effect early on Tuesday, October 27, and runs to November 1. It covers Oleshky and surrounding areas of the Kherson region, where residents trapped in the Russian controlled town have faced regular shelling and severe shortages of food and medicine. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for that condition. First Lady Melania Trump brokered the truce, with Pope Leo also pressing for humanitarian access, and the two countries' human rights commissioners, Dmytro Lubinets for Ukraine and Yana Lantratova for Russia, have coordinated the mission on the ground.
Lantratova said both sides are observing the agreement, and she traveled toward the area on Thursday with four Newsmax journalists. Lubinets also made his way to the Oleshky area, where a Ukrainian delegation is overseeing the mission and a humanitarian shipment is being prepared for delivery on Friday, October 30.
“Demining is under way there, and we hope that today or tomorrow residents will be able to receive humanitarian aid safely and without obstruction, and that those wishing to leave will be able to do so,” Peskov said, in remarks carried by the Interfax news agency.
The open question is where people who leave will be allowed to go. The bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus welcomed the ceasefire on Wednesday and credited Melania Trump's effort, and the caucus also raised an alarm over reports that Russian authorities are stopping Oleshky residents from evacuating into Ukrainian controlled territory. “Forcibly transferring or deporting civilians from occupied territory is a war crime,” the caucus co chairs said in a statement shared with Radio Free Europe, and they called for safe evacuation, humanitarian assistance and freedom for residents to reunite with their families.
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