Oleshky truce holds 30 hours as aid waits
A six-day ceasefire in Russian-held Oleshky held through its first 30 hours with no violations, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, and Hromadske report. Ukraine's Marine Corps said both sides were observing it as of eight am local time. Aid is due before any evacuation corridor opens, and mines must be cleared first.
A six-day ceasefire in Russian-held Oleshky held through its first day and night, officials said Wednesday. The Associated Press said Ukraine's ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Russia's Yana Lantratova both reported no violations in the first 30 hours. The Kyiv Independent and Hromadske also cited Lubinets saying the pause passed without a single incident.
The pause began early Tuesday and runs through November 1. A Ukrainian Marine Corps spokesperson said both sides were observing it as of eight am local time Wednesday, the Kyiv Independent and Hromadske reported. Negotiators said doctors, medicine, food, and water would enter before any exit route opens, the Associated Press said. Mines on access roads must be cleared first, Hromadske reported. The Associated Press said there was still no news on how the aid work was going.
Oleshky sits across the Dnipro River from Ukrainian-held Kherson. Russia seized it in the first days of the 2022 invasion. About 2,000 people remain, the Associated Press said. Russian forces tightly limit who can enter, and food has been cut off for months. US first lady Melania Trump helped broker the mission, the White House said, and both sides thanked her.
Fighting went on elsewhere. The Kyiv Independent, citing local officials, said Russian strikes killed two people and injured 17 in other regions over the past day. Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said no strikes on key or civilian sites were reported in the region in that period.
What we know: The Oleshky ceasefire held about 30 hours with no reported violations, and aid is due before any evacuations begin.
What we don't: Whether aid has entered yet, whether an exit route has opened, and where people who leave would be taken.
Where outlets agree The Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, and Hromadske report the Oleshky ceasefire held about 30 hours with no violations, citing Ukraine's Lubinets and Russia's Lantratova.
Where they differ Euronews reports residents who leave may first be bused through Russian-held Crimea or Russia, raising forced-deportation fears, while Russia says departures need consent and Lantratova claims Oleshky is Russian territory.