A significant humanitarian aid operation has commenced in Oleschky, a frontline city in southern Ukraine currently under Russian occupation. Following a multi-day localized ceasefire mediated by First Lady Melania Trump and supported by Pope Leo XIV, dozens of tons of relief goods are being transported into the besieged area. The supplies include foodstuffs such as flour, grain, sugar, cooking oil, and canned meat and fish, alongside hygiene products and fuel for emergency generators. Additionally, the city's central hospital is receiving critical medications, including antibiotics and insulin. These goods were assembled by the team of the Russian human rights commissioner and the Russian Red Cross.
The ceasefire, which has held for 54 hours with no reported violations according to official statements, also allows for the evacuation of civilians. Several hundred residents have registered on an evacuation list, though estimates suggest between 1,500 and 2,000 people remain in the city, down from a pre-war population of approximately 24,000. The evacuation route involves transporting residents to the Russian Black Sea city of Anapa before flying them to Gomel in Belarus for onward travel to Ukraine. Furthermore, the pause in hostilities is expected to allow for the removal of roughly 100 bodies that have been stored in the basement of the local hospital for months. The ceasefire is scheduled to last until Sunday evening.
The humanitarian corridor also benefits Cherson, the regional capital located on the opposite bank of the Dnieper River, as transport routes previously endangered by drone attacks and mines are now accessible. While this operation marks the largest joint civilian aid effort between Ukraine and Russia since the invasion began in February 2022, fighting continues at other frontlines. In a separate development, Ukrainian forces launched an attack on the Marinovka military airfield in Russia's Volgograd region using Neptune missiles, marking the second successful strike on a Russian airbase this month. Meanwhile, Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure resulted in casualties in Dnipro, Kremenchuk, and Zaporizhzhia, while Moscow reported intercepting over 600 drones targeting its capital region.
Sources: Süddeutsche Zeitung.