Russia and Ukraine agree to Oleshky truce to evacuate civilians
Washington announced the deal and the Kremlin confirmed it, but dates are not final, no route has been set and no one has said who will monitor it.
Russia and Ukraine agreed to suspend military operations in Oleshky so aid can get in and civilians who want to leave can go, the White House announced Friday. Oleshky is a city in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, held by Russian forces since February 2022.
The truce would begin Oct. 29. Anyone who decides to leave would get help and transportation to either Ukraine or Russia, their choice, along a safe corridor. Washington credited first lady Melania Trump with brokering the deal; she called the situation in the city "dire."
Moscow is on board too. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed the agreement and said military officials from both countries are still setting the dates for putting it into effect. Evacuations would take at least several days, he added. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia wrote on Telegram that the humanitarian operation will begin once the truce is in force.
No one has said how long the truce will last, which route evacuees will take or who will monitor compliance.
The numbers do not match, either. Washington counts between 1,700 and 2,000 residents, about 50 of them children, down from about 24,000 before the war. Kyiv estimates about 6,000 civilians in seven localities in the area, up to 200 of them children, and up to 2,000 in Oleshky. About 90% of the city went underwater when the Kakhovka dam was destroyed in 2023.
This is not a general ceasefire but a deal limited to one city. Under the plan, civilian representatives from both countries would visit residents at home to assess their needs, and a U.S. media organization, which the announcement does not name, would document the work. In early October, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had called Oleshky a deadly trap.
Arakhamia describes the agreement as part of a long process involving Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV. Technical peace talks are being prepared for the first half of November.
