Aid convoy for Oleshky set for Oct 29 under 48-hour truce

Two days of fighting will pause in the Oleshky area beginning the night of October 27, according to statements from the general staffs of Ukraine and Russia released on Friday evening. The designated ceasefire period is intended to facilitate a humanitarian operation scheduled for October 29.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address that conditions in the town remain extremely difficult. He noted that Russian forces have placed mines on roads in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast. "The situation is dire, extremely dire," he stated.

Zelenskyy indicated that Kyiv hopes American mediation will succeed in opening access to the town. He confirmed that talks have continued for some time at various levels. "Ukraine will do its part. We count on American mediation to work," he said.

The White House said in a statement that First Lady Melania Trump secured the truce. The administration described a humanitarian disaster as currently unfolding in Oleshky. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia agreed to the ceasefire to allow the mission to proceed.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, specified that the operation will occur on October 29. The plan includes restoring access to the town, delivering food and medicine, and allowing residents to leave the combat zone.