Humanitarian convoy heads to occupied Oleshky as two die during demining

A truce and a first convoy

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary halt in fighting around Oleshky, a town about 4 km from Kherson on the left bank of the Dnipro that has been under Russian occupation since the start of the invasion. The White House announced the arrangement on 23 October and said First Lady Melania Trump had driven the talks. The truce was originally due to begin on 29 October, but it took effect at 03:00 Ukrainian time on 27 October and will run until 22:59 on 1 November. During the night of 29 to 30 October the first humanitarian convoy set off for the town, carrying food, water, medicine and other essentials. Passenger buses in the convoy are meant to help evacuate the most vulnerable residents, and residents may leave the town until 14:00 local time on 30 October.

Demining and the delegation

Melania Trump said the access roads had been cleared of mines and posted on X that all routes agreed jointly by Ukraine and Russia were cleared for safe passage. Dawyd Arachamija, head of the parliamentary faction of Ukraine's Servant of the People party, said on Telegram that a delegation of Ukrainian, US and Russian representatives had reached the point from which aid would be delivered. Later reports describe an explosion during the clearance work that killed two people, one of them a sapper. Arachamija said reporters from three countries would cover the next phase, which he presented as a way to ensure maximum transparency. The White House said a US crew from Newsmax would film the visit, and reporters from France, Italy, Ukraine and Russia were among the observers.

Conditions in the town

Kyiv authorities say about 2,000 people, including 50 children, have no access to food or drinking water in Oleshky. Washington has also confirmed that about 2,000 people, among them 50 children, are without food and water in the town. Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets set off toward the town, and reports indicate he was travelling through Belarus and Russia. According to the Financial Times, people who choose to evacuate under the local truce are to be taken first to Crimea or Russia and only later to areas controlled by Kyiv. Russian human rights spokeswoman Jana Lantratowa said she confirmed that both Russia and Ukraine were fully meeting their truce commitments.

Strikes elsewhere in Ukraine

On 29 October Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X that Russia was carrying out deliberate attacks on civilians just as the humanitarian operation was under way in Oleshky. He said the signals from Moscow were clear and that the Kremlin wanted to prolong the war, and he called for firm action and pressure on the aggressor. Regional authorities said a Russian drone strike on the railway station in the city of Dnipro killed at least 14 people and wounded 13 on the same day. Russian drone attacks on Chernihiv and Kremenchuk killed at least five people and wounded more than 40. Reports say the access roads to Oleshky have been mined and Russian drones have operated over them regularly, making it harder for residents to leave.

What happens next

Aid is due to reach the town on 30 October, the same day the window for residents to leave closes at 14:00 local time. The evacuation route described by the Financial Times would take residents through Crimea or Russia before reaching Ukrainian-controlled territory. The truce is scheduled to end at 22:59 on 1 November. The articles do not say what will happen once the truce expires.