The Russian Ministry of Defence said that from 4.00 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday, 27 October, it had halted shelling toward Kherson. The Ukrainian side also confirmed a ceasefire in occupied Oleshky.
According to Reuters, the Russian defence ministry wrote on Telegram that it had stopped firing toward Kherson at 4.00 a.m. Moscow time (3.00 a.m. Kyiv time, 2.00 a.m. in Poland) to prepare a humanitarian operation in Oleshky. The town lies on the left bank of the Dnipro, opposite Kherson, which Ukraine controls. Russian forces seized it in the first days of the invasion in February 2022.
Kyiv confirms
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner and head of its negotiating team, wrote that the ceasefire began at the same time. As Reuters reported, Lubinets said: „the Ukrainian side is fulfilling its obligations”. According to him, the agreement was reached in cooperation with Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova, and was coordinated by First Lady of the United States Melania Trump. Ukraine’s General Staff said the truce is meant to allow aid delivery to residents and preparation for a safe evacuation of civilians (according to PAP).
The White House said on 23 October that both sides had agreed to temporarily halt fighting in Oleshky, with Melania Trump acting as intermediary. Pope Leo XIV also appealed regarding the town, as we reported after his phone call with Putin.
Situation in the town
According to the UN, up to 2,000 people remain in Oleshky. They cannot leave because of mines on the roads and drone attacks, and they lack food and medicine. The American side spoke of around 50 children in this group (per PAP). The town was flooded after the destruction of the dam in Nova Kakhovka.
Fighting outside the truce zone
The truce is local in nature. Reuters reports that on Tuesday Russian strikes hit the Southern Bridge and metro infrastructure in Kyiv, forcing a suspension of traffic. The Russian defence ministry claims it also attacked transport infrastructure in Kyiv, a logistics hub in Kharkiv region, and industrial facilities and cargo ships.
On Monday, 26 October, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out that the Oleshky truce could set a precedent for similar agreements at other points on the front (according to PAP). This is only a general statement: no specific further agreements were announced.
What it means
For residents of Oleshky, it is the first real chance in a long time for food and medicine deliveries, and for leaving the town if the evacuation begins. For Kherson, it means a pause in shelling from that direction. No information was given on how long the truce will last or when the first convoys will leave. It is also not a truce across the whole war: strikes on other Ukrainian cities continue. For Poland, it is mainly a signal of ongoing contacts between Kyiv and Moscow with US involvement, with no impact on current decisions or prices.
