2,000 residents remain in Oleshky as Oct. 29 truce begins

Residents of Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city on the front line, will face a temporary pause in military action starting October 29. The White House announced the arrangement on Friday, stating that the truce is designed to permit humanitarian aid to reach civilians and facilitate an organized evacuation. The goal is to stabilize conditions in a city where the population has dropped sharply and essential supplies are scarce.

The conflict in this specific sector has intensified the strain on local infrastructure and living conditions. Before the war, Oleshky was home to approximately 24,000 people. The White House now estimates that between 1,700 and 2,000 residents remain, including about 50 children. Officials noted that roughly 90 percent of the city is flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, which complicates access to clean water and medical care.

Melania Trump, who worked with her representative to secure the terms, described the situation as dire. She stated that the remaining population consists mostly of elderly individuals who require urgent medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water. Her office confirmed that she and her representative engaged directly with leadership in both Russia and Ukraine to finalize the localized truce.

Under the agreed terms, non-military teams from both nations will visit residents in their homes. These teams will help arrange transport for anyone wishing to leave for either Russia or Ukraine. The agreement creates a designated safe passage for civilian evacuation and aid delivery, effectively stopping all military action within the city limits during the pause.

Ukraine’s top negotiator, David Arakhamia, confirmed that the humanitarian operation will commence once the ceasefire takes hold. He noted that the accord resulted from a lengthy process involving both Melania Trump and Pope Leo. The Kremlin stated that the evacuation process would require at least a few days to complete. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced that Russian forces would cease firing from 4 a.m. local time on October 27 to support the operation.

The diplomatic push for this truce followed a telephone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Leo last week. During that conversation, Putin expressed readiness to cooperate on the issue. The White House also credited the Pope for his role in facilitating the agreement alongside First Lady Melania Trump. This diplomatic effort occurs amid broader negotiations involving U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that technical-level talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are scheduled for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi. Zelenskyy told the Hudson Institute that these discussions follow recent meetings between U.S. envoys and Putin. He emphasized that any future peace deal would require strong security guarantees and a decade of funding for Ukraine’s military.

Despite the announcement, fighting continued on Friday in other regions. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport briefly suspended operations due to a drone threat, and air defenses downed 21 drones heading for the capital. The two sides also exchanged 270 prisoners each. Ukrainian acting prosecutor general Anton Kovalskyi reported that more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, have been killed since the full-scale invasion began.