KYIV, Ukraine — A local ceasefire took effect early Tuesday around the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, opening a window for humanitarian aid and a civilian evacuation planned for Friday.
The truce, which the White House said was secured by US First Lady Melania Trump, began at 3 a.m. local time. Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had stopped firing toward Kherson, on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River.
Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia said the truce would last until 23:59 local time on November 1. “It is critically important that this mission to rescue our people proceeds successfully and safely,” said Kyrylo Budanov, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.
Kyiv believes up to 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in Oleshky and the surrounding area, BBC News reported. The town, home to 24,000 people before the war, has had no electricity, gas or running water for three years, and residents have described eating weeds to survive.
Fighting elsewhere did not stop. Minutes after the truce began, ballistic missiles struck Kyiv. Late Monday a strike on university grounds in the capital killed one person and injured 10, and attacks in Kharkiv killed two.
“It is important that the world sees that Russia is showing nothing but a desire to kill and continue waging war,” Zelensky said.
A new round of US-brokered peace talks is expected next month.
Sources: BBC News, NPR / AP, CBC News
—
