Demining under way on Oleshky aid routes as Kherson ceasefire holds past 30 hours

Demining of access routes into Russian-occupied Oleshky began on Wednesday as the humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine's Kherson region passed more than 30 hours without incidents, Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets confirmed.

Lubinets described the mine-clearance as a crucial stage needed before aid deliveries and civilian evacuations can proceed. He wrote on Telegram that their shared goal is to provide assistance to people and give them the opportunity to reach safe territory. The truce, which took effect at 03:00 Kyiv time on 27 October, is set to last until 22:59 on 1 November.

Davyd Arakhamia, who leads President Zelensky's Servant of the People party in parliament, called it the largest ceasefire since 2022. The deal was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, after earlier calls by Pope Francis to Russian and Ukrainian presidents.

The current operation aims to bring food, drinking water and medical supplies into the city and to provide safe passage for those who wish to leave. Oleshky, located on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, roughly 5 kilometres southeast of Kherson city, has faced severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine for months, with the last food delivery reported on 26 May. Residents cannot access bank accounts or withdraw cash, as doing so would require leaving the town — which is nearly impossible.

According to Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, roughly 1,700 people remain in the city from a prewar population of 24,000, including 47 children. Ukraine's human rights commissioner Lubinets has separately estimated about 6,000 people, including some 200 children, remain across the broader Oleshky area.

The truce's start was complicated by a scheduling discrepancy. The White House announced on 23 October that military activity would be paused from 29 October, but Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced a separate "silence regime" along the Kherson front beginning 27 October — two days earlier. Moscow's unilateral move raised concerns of possible sabotage, given Russia's record of breaking previous ceasefires, though the truce ultimately took effect as Russia had announced.

Before the ceasefire was formalised, Pope Francis called Putin on 16 October urging an immediate halt to fighting and aid access, then spoke to President Zelensky on 19 October reiterating that request. On 20 October, European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno declared a hunger strike in protest over the starvation of civilians in Oleshky.