The US-negotiated cease-fire aimed at allowing humanitarian aid into the eastern Ukrainian city of Oleshky took effect in the early hours of October 27, shortly after Russian air attacks struck Kyiv, hitting a university dormitory and other civilian sites and killing at least one person.
The start of the cease-fire, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump last week and confirmed by Moscow and Kyiv, comes amid what she described as a dire situation in Oleshky, a frontline city on the brink of disaster, where the remaining population consists primarily of elderly residents urgently in need of medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.
"The cease-fire has begun, and the Ukrainian side is honoring its commitments," Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, wrote on Telegram on October 27.
"Today, at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time and 4:00 a.m. Moscow time, a cease-fire was introduced in designated areas associated with the humanitarian mission," he added.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had halted fire in the Kherson direction and introduced a "cease-fire regime" ahead of a planned humanitarian operation in Oleshky.
Oleshky lies on the Russian-occupied bank of the Dnipro River, opposite the regional capital of Kherson. Before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the city had approximately 24,000 residents.
Melania Trump's office estimates that between 1,700 and 2,000 people remain, including about 50 children. Most are believed to be elderly residents who have been unable or unwilling to leave. There has been no formal demographic count since 2022.
The city has endured years of fighting, displacement, and isolation. The destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 compounded the devastation, with an estimated 90 percent of Oleshky's territory flooded.
Russian Strikes Hit Kyiv As Zelenskyy Seeks Air Defenses
Russian air attacks struck Kyiv late on October 26, hitting a university dormitory and other civilian sites and killing at least one person. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukraine's partners to provide the "proper tools" for the country to defend itself.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least 14 people were injured in the strikes, "most of whom were students from a university dormitory."
Klitschko also reported that a Russian strike damaged a major bridge spanning the Dnipro River in Kyiv.
"Experts are assessing the extent of the damage to the Pivdenniy Bridge. Traffic across the bridge is currently closed," he wrote on Telegram.
"It is precisely under such circumstances, when the threat is constant, when strikes can come at any moment and target cities and villages directly, that artificial delays in providing air defense to Ukraine help terror," Zelenskyy said in a post on social media.
"It is important that our partners understand that Ukraine needs the proper tools to destroy Russian ballistic missile launchers. This would be the most effective way to save lives. It is important that the world sees that Russia is showing nothing but a desire to kill and continue waging war. "
US lawmakers have been challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian energy imports and demanding guarantees that Kyiv will retain access to critical American military and intelligence support.
In a series of legislative initiatives, congressional inquiries, and appeals to the administration, Republicans and Democrats have warned that decisions benefiting Moscow or disrupting Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities could undermine US national security, weaken congressional authority, and prolong Russia’s war.
The pushback comes after the administration authorized transactions involving Russian diesel fuel, amid reports that Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starlink and military-grade Starshield satellite communications systems had been restricted.
Ukrainian officials say the disruptions have affected military operations, although they have said in recent days that satellite connection speeds had been restored. Questions remain about who imposed the restrictions.
For several months, Zelenskyy has also called on the US and other allies to step up supplies of critical defense systems such as Patriot missiles amid almost nightly barrages of Russian ballistic missiles and drones.
He said last week that Ukraine was still waiting for previously agreed deliveries of interceptors for Patriot air-defense systems.
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Russian officials deny targeting civilian infrastructure in the conflict, which has raged since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
The university hit in the attack was identified as the State University of Trade and Economics (SUTE), one of Kyiv's largest schools with more than 15,000 students.
