Melania Trump's Oleshky truce holds with no incidents in 30 hours as demining clears the way for starving Ukrainians
Melania Trump, as residents of Oleshky reportedly surviving on weeds await the aid deliveries that demining of the planned evacuation route is now making possible.
Kyiv's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets confirmed that 30 hours had passed in Oleshky without a single recorded incident, with his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova issuing a near-identical statement. Demining of the evacuation route is now under way, with both ombudsmen physically present on the ground as guarantors of the truce. Around 2,000 civilians remain trapped in the Russian-occupied city, with many reportedly surviving on weeds after months of dwindling food and medical supplies.
Only three days out from lung cancer surgery, Pope Leo XIV placed a direct call to Putin urging the ceasefire before Melania secured the deal.
Residents fear Russia will divert evacuees to occupied Crimea or Russian territory rather than allowing return to Ukrainian-controlled areas.
Putin called Oleshky 'a Russian settlement' in a phone call on October 27, despite its status as Ukrainian territory under international law.
