Aid trucks set to enter Oleshky after 54 hours of silence
Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed the truce is holding as military teams clear mines from roads leading to the occupied city.
By Marta Gray ·
Ukrainian authorities stated on Thursday that humanitarian aid convoys are scheduled to enter the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky on Friday. The planned delivery follows a 54-hour pause in fighting that has allowed military engineers to clear landmines from the roads leading into the city. This ceasefire represents the third day of a temporary truce that both sides have maintained since Tuesday.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian ombudsman, confirmed that no violations of the agreement had been reported. He said the parties are fully adhering to the terms, which allow for the movement of food and medical supplies to approximately 2,000 civilians trapped in the area. Russian ombudsman Yana Lantratova agreed, noting that her team is preparing a safe passage for the convoy. She described the operation as the result of five months of coordination between the two governments.
The White House attributed the brokered deal to U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. Both Moscow and Kyiv credited her role in establishing the temporary framework for aid delivery. The agreement also includes provisions for local residents to evacuate into either Ukrainian or Russian territory, although the specific logistics for those departures remain undefined.
Outside of the Oleshky zone, the wider conflict continued with intense strikes. A Russian jet-powered drone struck two passenger trains stopped at a station in Dnipro, killing at least 14 people and injuring 10. In the northern city of Chernihiv, a Russian cruise missile killed two 15-year-old girls. Two additional civilians died in the central city of Kremenchuk when a drone hit an apartment building.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses shot down 1,214 Ukrainian drones overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that about half of those drones were targeting the Russian capital. This was one of the largest drone attacks launched by Kyiv to date.
In Kherson, a city held by Ukraine near the conflict zone, residents began returning to daily life. Nataliia Myronenko, a 42-year-old coffee vendor, reported a steady stream of customers during lunch and evening hours for the first time in recent weeks. She described the lack of aerial attacks as a relief, noting that while people still watch the ground for mines, they no longer need to check the sky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both seeking to improve relations with Washington ahead of potential three-way talks next month. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, is scheduled to arrive in Atlanta for a G20 meeting on Friday. Meanwhile, Putin publicly praised Elon Musk as a genius, citing ongoing coordination between Russia and the American tech entrepreneur regarding satellite activities.
