The Ukrainian General Staff has announced that military orders will be implemented to guarantee humanitarian access for residents in Oleshky. The statement emphasized, “Appropriate directives will be communicated to the troops in due course. We expect humanitarian access for the people in Oleshky to be assured.”
Reports indicate that Ukrainian units have frequently used drones to deliver humanitarian supplies to the inhabitants of Oleshky and surrounding villages.
On October 23, the White House announced, with the mediation of First Lady Melania Trump, that Ukraine and Russia had reached an agreement to cease hostilities in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid delivery and civilian evacuation. Ukraine’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed this arrangement, which includes a ceasefire, delivery of humanitarian goods, and free movement for civilians exiting the city.
The White House stated that the ceasefire is set to commence on October 29. Meanwhile, the Chief of the General Staff of Russia, Valery Gerasimov, announced a “ceasefire regime” in the Kherson direction starting October 27, although Lubinets did not specify the dates for local operations.
Context
- Oleshky has been under occupation since the early days of the full-scale war, with Russian forces blocking the city. According to Tetyana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky Military Administration, the last food supply was delivered on May 26. Due to landmines, drone attacks, and a lack of safe routes, residents have been unable to evacuate or receive humanitarian aid. On May 7, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a humanitarian disaster in Oleshky and other occupied areas of the Kherson region. As of September 13, local residents and volunteers reported severe shortages of food and water, attacks on humanitarian convoys, and the struggle for survival through gardening.
- Initially, the occupiers denied the humanitarian crisis in the city but later acknowledged it while blaming Ukraine for the situation.
- On October 16, Pope Francis appealed to illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin for a humanitarian truce to facilitate aid delivery to Oleshky, discussing the matter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thereafter.
