The clearance of access routes to Oleshky is complete according to Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, and the aid convoy is waiting. According to Interfax-Ukraine, the demining of the routes for the humanitarian mission in the occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson region has been completed. The aid convoy is ready to depart, Lubinets stated, according to the news agency Interfax-Ukraine. This means the rescue operation for thousands of trapped people, prepared over several days, could enter its decisive phase from Friday.
A precise timetable for the start of the evacuation is not yet available. The Swiss broadcaster SRF reported that the evacuation should begin from Friday – for those who agree to it. According to Lubinets, the first humanitarian goods should be delivered on Friday, provided demining has progressed far enough by then. According to these reports, the human rights commissioner himself was on his way to Oleshky to accompany the operation.
The guns have been silent since Tuesday
The local ceasefire came into force on Tuesday, 27 October, at three o’clock in the morning local time. According to Ukrainian reports, it is to apply until 1 November at 22.59 local time, as the Berliner Zeitung reports. In the first 30 hours, the agreement was observed according to both warring parties, the human rights commissioners of Russia and Ukraine stated on Wednesday. The Russian commissioner Yana Lantratova and Lubinets reportedly exchanged views regularly on its implementation; both thanked the US President’s wife, Melania Trump, for her mediation.
The agreement was announced on 23 October. According to the White House, Melania Trump had negotiated the conditions with representatives of Russia and Ukraine. The US President’s wife stated that residents wishing to leave should receive support to reach a destination of their choice; she expects some to want to travel to Russia and others to Ukraine. According to Interfax-Ukraine, Trump also stated that the ceasefire had been brought forward by two days and the geographical zone extended beyond Oleshky to enable humanitarian convoys to pass safely. She said she had received this information from the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov.
6,000 people, 200 children – and a risky route
According to the Ukrainian human rights commissioner in September, more than 6,000 people could still be living in Oleshky and the surrounding area, including around 200 children. According to his office, 358 people must be brought to safety urgently. The Austrian newspaper Der Standard reported that the initial plan was to evacuate 500 people. They are not permitted to go directly to Ukrainian-controlled territory; the route initially leads deeper into Russian-controlled territory.
The situation in the town on the eastern bank of the Dnipro, opposite the city of Kherson, is dire. Oleshky has been occupied since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. According to reports by the Kyiv Independent, the remaining residents lack food, medicines, electricity and other vital supplies. Mined roads, drone attacks and Russian access restrictions have made supply difficult and blocked escape routes.
The evacuation worker Kseniia Arkhipova warned in conversation with the Kyiv Independent that the people who remain in Oleshky after a larger evacuation could be at even greater risk. She fears that the town could be attacked more heavily after many civilians have left and that the remaining residents would no longer receive any aid.
Distrust accompanies the rescue operation
SRF correspondent Judith Huber described on Thursday evening in “Echo der Zeit” how the operation came about: Ukraine had drawn attention to conditions in Oleshky, and international pressure had built up. At the same time, the operation comes at a convenient time for Trump ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, and the Russian army benefits from the ceasefire. There are reports from Ukraine that Russian troops used the breathing space to rotate soldiers, build up positions and prepare to attack the opposite city of Kherson all the more heavily after the end of the ceasefire.
The accompanying arrangements for the operation are also controversial. According to Melania Trump, four journalists from the broadcaster Newsmax will be present on site; the First Lady described them as neutral. The broadcaster is considered close to Trump. According to SRF correspondent Huber’s information, no other media workers and no UN observers are admitted, apparently not even the Red Cross. According to SRF, many in Ukraine fear a PR show staged by Trump and the Russians.
What happens after 1 November is open. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, new talks between Ukraine, Russia and the USA are planned for the first half of November. According to Reuters, Abu Dhabi and Switzerland were named as possible venues.
Earlier coverage: US, Ukraine and Russia delegations at Oleshky aid start point
