Ceasefire in Kherson region extended, humanitarian aid slated for Oleshky

A ceasefire that began early on Tuesday with the goal of bringing food and medicine to the Russian‑occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky has been extended across the broader southern region of Kherson, officials said.

Several thousand residents are trapped in Oleshky without food, water or electricity, hemmed in by the Dnipro River on one side and Russian forces on the other, while all roads out are deemed unsafe.

To date, no breaches of the truce have been reported.

US First Lady Melania Trump, who helped broker the ceasefire along with Pope Leo XIV, announced on Tuesday that the area covered by the agreement had been widened to provide “safe passage” for humanitarian convoys.

The press secretary to Ukraine’s public ombudsman and Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of Kherson, confirmed that Russian shelling had stopped both in Kherson city, which remains under Ukrainian control, and in the wider region.

Under the agreement, the ceasefire will be followed by deliveries of humanitarian aid to Oleshky and then evacuations planned for Friday for anyone wishing to leave.

Estimates place the number of people remaining in Oleshky itself at 1,700 to 2,000, with a few thousand more in surrounding areas.

Residents have resorted to cooking garden weeds to survive, telling the BBC they are suffering extreme hunger and want to leave.

Both sides say the ceasefire is being observed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said everything was proceeding “according to plan” and praised US mediation, specifically mentioning representatives of Melania Trump.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the ceasefire could lead to further steps in the peace process if it produced results.

David Arakhamia, a key official in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s parliamentary party, said the truce will continue until 22:59 Ukrainian time on Sunday 1 November, describing it as a major de‑escalation.

Before the war, Oleshky was home to 24,000 people, but it was seized by Russia during the first days of the full‑scale invasion in February 2022.

No shops are open, and the city has lacked electricity, gas or water since the Kakhovka Dam was blown up in 2023, which flooded the area and killed many residents.