Aid convoy targets Oleshky as Ukraine-Russia truce reaches third day
Humanitarian supplies are scheduled to enter the besieged southern city on Friday, even as Russian strikes kill civilians in Dnipro and Chernihiv.
By James Foster ·
A humanitarian convoy is set to roll into Oleshky, Ukraine, on Friday, marking the first major aid delivery under a localized ceasefire that has held for 54 hours. The six-day truce, brokered with the involvement of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV, allows food and medical supplies to reach approximately 2,000 civilians trapped in the Russian-occupied southern city. Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed the agreement is intact as of Thursday.
Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that both parties are fully adhering to the terms. “The ceasefire has been in place for 54 hours now,” Lubinets said. “The parties are fully adhering to the agreements, and no violations of the ceasefire have been reported.” His Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, confirmed the truce remains stable. Russian engineers are currently clearing landmines from roads in Oleshky to prepare a safe passage for the convoy.
The agreement began on Tuesday, offering a rare pause in a war that has raged for more than four and a half years. While previous ceasefires in the conflict have frequently collapsed, this localized stoppage has allowed for immediate logistical planning. Lantratova described the operation as five months in the making. She and her team are en route to Oleshky for the delivery, while Lubinets arrived in Belarus and will travel to the city from there.
Civilian evacuations are also part of the plan, with residents permitted to move into either Russia or Ukraine. However, officials have not yet detailed the specific mechanics of how these departures will be coordinated. In the nearby Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, the lull in fighting has drawn residents back onto the streets. Nataliia Myronenko, a 42-year-old coffee kiosk owner, reported a steady stream of customers during lunch and evening hours. “Now, during the quiet, we have people at lunchtime and in the evening, which we didn’t have under the attacks,” Myronenko said.
The truce, however, has not stopped fighting elsewhere. A jet-powered Russian drone struck two passenger trains stopped at a station in Dnipro, central Ukraine, on Thursday. Officials reported at least 14 deaths and 10 injuries in that attack. In the northern city of Chernihiv, a Russian cruise missile killed two 15-year-old girls. Additionally, two civilians died when a Russian drone hit an apartment block in Kremenchuk.
Russian air defenses reported downing 1,214 Ukrainian drones overnight, which Moscow’s Defense Ministry identified as one of the largest drone attacks launched by Kyiv. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that roughly half of those drones were targeting the Russian capital.
Diplomatic efforts continue alongside the military actions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to travel to Atlanta, Georgia, for a G20 ministerial meeting starting Friday. This trip comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a shift in Washington’s posture toward Kyiv, including the waiver of sanctions on Russia. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as “a genius,” citing coordination efforts regarding satellite activities as Russia builds its own version of Starlink.
The next phase of the Oleshky operation involves the physical entry of the aid convoy and the start of the evacuation process. Officials from both nations are on the ground or en route to oversee the logistics. The truce is scheduled to remain in effect for a total of six days from its inception on Tuesday.
