Russia and Ukraine agree humanitarian truce in Oleshky
Local ceasefire will allow delivery of food, medicine and mine clearance for roughly 2,000 residents in occupied Kherson town.
Russia and Ukrainian forces have agreed to a local ceasefire in the town of Oleshky to allow a humanitarian operation, officials said on 27 October 2026. The truce covers the town and its immediate surroundings on the front line in the part of Kherson Oblast currently under Russian control.
Both the Russian General Staff and the General Staff in Kyiv confirmed the pause in fighting. Kyiv announced that the ceasefire would take effect from 03:00 local time and would remain in place for the duration of the humanitarian operation.
The action is intended to deliver food and medicine to residents who face acute shortages after years of fighting and the floods that followed Moscow’s 2022 invasion. Around 2,000 people are reported to remain trapped in the town, which is heavily damaged and under Russian occupation.
Mine clearance and safe corridor
The town is reported to be fully mined; the agreement foresees mine-clearing work to establish a secure corridor. It remains unclear whether the roughly 2,000 residents still inside Oleshky will be allowed to leave through the corridor once it is cleared.
Ukrainian forces have previously used unmanned aerial vehicles to drop aid into Oleshky, but many of those drones were shot down by Russian forces. Kyiv stressed that the ceasefire applies exclusively to the humanitarian operation and urged caution about sharing information.
The Ukrainian General Staff wrote on Telegram: "We call on everyone during this period to be especially careful with the information they receive and share. Do not trust unconfirmed information and do not spread rumours about routes, times and places of movement of people and humanitarian convoys."
U.S. officials said the humanitarian pause followed an initiative from the White House in Washington. According to American sources, First Lady Melania Trump mediated the agreement between Russia and Ukraine to allow the delivery of aid to the besieged frontline town, which has been cut off from regular supplies for months.
Photo: press material from the event
