What is the Oleshky ceasefire allowing Russia and Ukraine to do?

The pause in fighting is intended to let a humanitarian mission bring doctors, medicines, food and water into Oleshky. Negotiators said evacuation corridors would open after the supplies are delivered.

Why are residents unable to leave Oleshky?

The United Nations said explosive mines and drone attacks in the area have prevented people from leaving. Up to 2,000 people are stranded as food and medicine supplies dwindle.

How long will the Oleshky ceasefire last, and what talks are expected afterward?

The ceasefire is due to continue through Saturday or longer. A new round of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine is expected next month, with the stated aim of ending the war after more than 4½ years of fighting.

Localized Russia-Ukraine ceasefire takes effect in Oleshky in deal brokered by Melania Trump

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Summary

A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect at 3 a.m. Tuesday in Oleshky, southern Ukraine, ahead of a humanitarian mission led by U.S. first lady Melania Trump. The pause is intended to allow aid deliveries to the Russian-occupied town later this week and is due to last through Saturday or longer. Up to 2,000 people are stranded there with dwindling food and medicine, and negotiators said supplies would be delivered before evacuation corridors open.

Key Facts

Melania Trump led talks with civilian negotiators from Russia and Ukraine after meeting with United Nations officials who briefed her on conditions in Oleshky.
The United Nations said explosive mines and drone attacks have prevented residents from leaving the town.
Oleshky is in the partially occupied Kherson region, about 550 kilometers southeast of Kyiv, with the Dnipro River separating Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Russian forces captured Oleshky on the first day of their full-scale invasion in 2022, and floodwaters inundated the town in June 2023 after a dam collapse.
A new round of U.S.-brokered Russia-Ukraine talks aimed at ending the war is expected next month.

By AP

Published Oct 27, 2026 10:46 am KST

A still image taken from an undated drone video released Sept. 24, shows destroyed vehicles sitting on a street in Oleshky, Kherson Region, Russian-controlled Ukraine. Reuters-Yonhap

MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — A localized ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia took effect early Tuesday ahead of a humanitarian mission led by U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

The pause in fighting started at 3 a.m. in Ukraine to allow an aid mission into the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine later this week.

According to her office, Melania Trump led talks with civilian negotiators from Russia and Ukraine after meeting with United Nations officials who briefed her on the situation in the town.

The aid mission is planned ahead of a new round of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine expected next month and aimed at ending the war after more than 4½ years of fighting.

Up to 2,000 people are stranded in Oleshky with dwindling supplies of food and medicine. They have been unable to leave because of explosive mines and drone attacks in the area, according to the U.N.

The ceasefire is due to last through Saturday, or longer, amid deep mistrust between Russia and Ukraine that has thwarted previous attempts at ceasefires.

Oleshky is in the partially occupied Kherson region, about 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Kyiv, where the Dnipro River separates Russian and Ukrainian forces.

It was captured by Moscow’s forces on the first day of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Further calamity struck in June 2023 when floodwaters inundated the town due to a dam collapse.

Oleshky sits across the Dnipro River from the city of Kherson, the region’s administrative capital. Russian forces seized Kherson in the early stages of the 2022 invasion but retreated across the river several months later.

Negotiators involved in the aid mission said doctors, medicines, food supplies and water would be taken to Oleshky before evacuation corridors are opened.

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