US-Brokered Truce Holds in Oleshky — SkimNews
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- Ukraine and Russia began observing a US-brokered truce in Oleshky at 3 a.m. local time, with both sides confirming it was still holding as of 5:30 p.m., according to Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets.
- Melania Trump announced the truce last Friday, stating civilian officials from both countries would visit residents to assess aid needs and coordinate evacuations to either Russia or Ukraine.
- Oleshky residents—fewer than 2,000 remain, including up to 50 children—have faced starvation and lack of medicine, with some hunting pigeons to survive, former residents told AFP.
- Dmytro Lubinets said the truce was scheduled to last until 10:59 p.m. on Sunday and applied to the entire Kherson region, though AFP could not independently verify the humanitarian mission’s progress.
- Vladimir Saldo, a Moscow-installed official, said evacuees from Oleshky could go to Crimea or Rostov in Russia, but must wait for the heavily mined road to be cleared.
Why it matters: The truce offers a rare humanitarian opening in a war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, with Oleshky’s trapped civilians—some surviving on pigeons—now able to access aid or evacuate, though the short duration and mine hazards limit immediate relief.
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