Russia has suspended strikes toward the Ukrainian city of Kherson as a localised ceasefire around the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky took effect on Tuesday, opening a narrow window for aid deliveries and evacuations from a front-line town suffering acute shortages of food and medicine.
The pause began at 01:00 GMT on Tuesday, October 27, according to Russia’s Defence Ministry, which said on Telegram it had stopped shelling in the direction of Kherson city to prepare for the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, just across the Dnipro River. Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed the same timing, writing: “As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honoring its commitments.”
The agreement was announced on October 23 and was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, with the additional involvement of Pope Leo, as Washington seeks to revive broader peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv after more than four and a half years of war.
A town cut off
Oleshky lies on the eastern bank of the Dnipro in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, opposite Kherson city, which is held by Ukrainian forces. Russian troops seized it during the first days of the February 2022 invasion and have controlled it ever since.
The town had a pre-war population of about 24,000. Around 1,700 to 2,000 residents remain, including about 35 children, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and other reporting. They have been unable to leave because of explosive mines and drone attacks in the area, and the town has suffered extensive war damage, compounded by flooding after the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in 2023.
Residents and officials have reported severe shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies. Negotiators say the plan is to deliver medical supplies, food and water first, before opening evacuation corridors. The localised ceasefire is due to last through Saturday, or longer, according to the reporting — but that depends on a truce holding between sides with deep mutual mistrust.
Local only — the wider war continues
The ceasefire is local, not general. On Tuesday, new strikes hit Kyiv, including the Southern Bridge and subway infrastructure, forcing a suspension of traffic, according to city officials cited by The Straits Times, while a Reuters witness heard explosions in the capital.
The run-up to the pause was itself contested. On Monday, Russia’s Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of repeatedly striking Oleshky with artillery and drones ahead of the ceasefire — 18 artillery strikes and more than 120 drone attacks in the week since October 19, it said — claiming the attacks had thwarted food and medicine deliveries and stopped people leaving. Reuters reported it could not independently verify that assertion and that there was no immediate response from Ukraine, which has in the past accused Russia of not letting aid in or people out. That claim is therefore reported here as a Russian assertion, not as an established fact.
What comes next
If the pause holds, aid teams are expected to move supplies into Oleshky later this week, followed by evacuations for residents who wish to leave — an operation the Kremlin has said could take at least several days. The White House has said the arrangement is part of a wider effort to restart diplomacy: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States agreed to technical-level meetings in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi.
For the residents still in Oleshky, the test of this ceasefire will not be the announcements, but whether the trucks get in and the corridors actually open.
A UN inquiry recently found Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, as Emadan reported, underscoring how contested the wider conduct of the war remains even as this local pause takes hold.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Oleshky ceasefire take effect?
At 01:00 GMT on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, according to both Russia’s Defence Ministry and Ukraine’s human rights commissioner.
Who brokered the ceasefire?
US First Lady Melania Trump brokered the arrangement, with additional involvement from Pope Leo, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
How long is the ceasefire meant to last?
Through Saturday, or longer, according to the reporting — it is a localised pause for a humanitarian operation, not a general ceasefire.
How many people remain in Oleshky?
Around 1,700 to 2,000, from a pre-war population of about 24,000.
SOURCES:
- Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/27/russia-halts-strikes-on-ukraines-kherson-as-oleshky-ceasefire-takes-effect
- Reuters (ceasefire begins): https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-ukraine-begin-localised-ceasefire-allow-humanitarian-operation-oleshky-2026-10-27/
- Reuters (Oleshky explainer): https://www.reuters.com/world/oleshky-occupied-ukrainian-town-which-melania-trump-helped-broker-ceasefire-2026-10-26/
- The Straits Times: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/russia-ukraine-begin-localised-ceasefire-to-allow-for-humanitarian-operation-in-oleshky
- Reuters (pre-ceasefire Russian claim, unverified): https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-ukraine-has-repeatedly-struck-oleshky-with-artillery-drones-ahead-2026-10-26/
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