US announces ceasefire in occupied Oleshky to evacuate residents and deliver aid

The White House says a ceasefire has been agreed in Russian-occupied Oleshky. The pause is intended to allow civilians to leave the city and humanitarian aid to be delivered.

Ukraine and Russia confirmed the arrangement and said their forces would stop firing at 02:00 GMT on 27 October. The White House also said the truce for aid deliveries would begin on 29 October, but did not state how long it would last.

The White House said US First Lady Melania Trump and a representative had worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders on the terms of the local ceasefire.

Evacuation and aid arrangements

Civilian representatives from both countries are expected to visit Oleshky residents and assess their needs. People wishing to leave are to receive coordinated support and transport to their chosen destination, either Russia or Ukraine.

Davyd Arakhamia, a Ukrainian MP who leads President Volodymyr Zelensky's parliamentary party, said an operation to unblock Oleshky and nearby areas would begin soon. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that residents who wanted to leave would be able to do so.

Conditions under occupation

Russia seized Oleshky during the first days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The city lies between Ukrainian positions across the Dnipro River and Russian forces to the east.

Oleshky has had no gas or electricity since 2023. Residents told the BBC that the city was facing repeated shelling and shortages of food, water and medical care; some said people had resorted to eating garden plants and weeds to survive.

The city had a population of 24,000 before the full-scale war. Ukraine estimates that about 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in Oleshky and surrounding areas. Some residents also lost their homes in flooding after the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in 2023.