Demining Completed in Oleshky, Humanitarian Aid Set to Arrive

Demining has been completed around the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, allowing a humanitarian aid convoy to move in and giving trapped residents a chance to leave, Russian and Ukrainian officials announced on Friday.

The operation, which follows weeks of negotiations, will begin with aid deliveries to the city hospital. Residents who wish to leave will be given a set period to do so before food and other essential packages are distributed to those who remain, according to statements from both sides.

Oleshky, which had around 24,000 residents before the war, now has an estimated 1,500 people living among the ruins, facing severe shortages of food and medicine. The city has been under Russian control since shortly after the February 2022 invasion, and the surrounding area has seen near-daily drone and artillery attacks.

The limited ceasefire covering Oleshky and the wider Kherson area is expected to last until Sunday. Both Moscow and Kyiv credited US First Lady Melania Trump for helping to broker the truce and the aid operation. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the deliveries would begin on Thursday and Friday "with, among others, the support of the First Lady of the United States," while Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets offered "special thanks" to someone who "personally dedicates her time and attention to the humanitarian mission."

Four journalists from the conservative US television network Newsmax will be accompanying the convoy, according to Russia's human rights commissioner, although the Ukrainian side did not confirm which reporters were involved.

The operation is part of broader diplomatic efforts, with US-mediated peace talks expected to resume next month in Abu Dhabi. Both sides remain far apart on terms for ending the war, but each has an interest in showing support for President Donald Trump's peace push, according to analysts.