2,000 Trapped Residents Await Oct. 29 Truce in Oleshky

The White House confirmed on Friday that a temporary ceasefire will begin in Oleshky on Oct. 29, aiming to deliver humanitarian aid to the Russian-occupied city. The agreement stops all military action to allow non-military teams to enter the area and prepare a civilian evacuation route.

Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, currently holds between 1,700 and 2,000 residents, including approximately 50 children. The White House stated that about 90 percent of the city is flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Prior to the conflict, the population was roughly 24,000.

First Lady Melania Trump credited with securing the arrangement, stated that the remaining population is mostly elderly people requiring urgent medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water. She described the front-line city as being on the brink of disaster.

Ukraine’s top negotiator, David Arakhamia, said the humanitarian operation will start once the ceasefire takes hold. He noted that the accord followed a long process involving both Trump and Pope Leo, creating a corridor for people to leave and for assistance to enter.

The Kremlin confirmed that an evacuation will take at least a few days. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Pope Leo he was ready to co-operate on the issue after a telephone call last week. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced that Russian forces will stop firing from 4 a.m. local time on Oct. 27 to support the operation.

Under the deal, non-military teams from both countries will visit residents in their homes. These teams will help arrange transport for anyone who wants to leave for either Russia or Ukraine. The White House said this designated safe passage allows for the preparation of a civilian evacuation.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States agreed to hold technical-level talks in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. Zelenskyy told the Hudson Institute he had spoken with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff after their meeting with Putin earlier in the week. He stated that any peace deal would need strong security guarantees and 10 years of funding for Ukraine’s army.

Fighting continued on Friday despite the announcements. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport briefly suspended operations because of a Ukrainian drone threat. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defences downed 21 drones headed for the capital over two hours. The two sides also exchanged 270 prisoners each.

Ukraine’s 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. The prisoner exchange and continued drone attacks occurred as European allies, Democrats, and some Republicans criticized U.S. involvement in the war.