A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine around the occupied city of Oleshky that First Lady Melania Trump helped to broker has now gone into effect, officials on both sides said Tuesday.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights, said on X that the ceasefire went into effect at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time Tuesday.
Russia’s defense ministry said on Telegram it stopped shelling in the direction of Oleshky at the same time Tuesday.
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The pause in fighting is intended to allow for the evacuation of elderly residents and the entry of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the frontline city, which has been occupied by Russia since the first days of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian authorities have said about 1,700 people remain in Oleshky.
Lubinets said the ceasefire is “part of a humanitarian mission being carried out with the mediation and coordination of US First Lady Melania Trump, in cooperation with Yana Lantratova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights.”
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Across the Dnipro river in Kherson, the largest Ukrainian city on the front line, which has endured brutal attacks on civilians and infrastructure due to its unique tactical position, residents are relieved.
But they know this reprieve cannot last.
“People are happy, but everyone’s afraid that after this ceasefire, they’ll give us such a beating that it’ll be beyond belief,” Zhanna Yakovleva, who lives in Kherson, told CNN on Tuesday.
“That’s the reality, unfortunately.”
Two civilians have been killed in the Kherson region since October 20, and a further 38 have sustained injuries – including six children.
Many, like Yakovleva, are living with friends and relatives because their homes have been damaged or destroyed.
Amid the temporary calm, people have taken to the streets to check on those houses and apartments, Yakovleva said, something they’ve been unable to do because of relentless Russian drone strikes.
Yakovleva described Kherson, which was the first major city to fall under Russian occupation in 2022 and was liberated by Ukraine later that year, as quiet – for the first time since its de-occupation.
The ceasefire is expected to remain in place until November 1, according to Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia, who is also a key peace negotiator.
Posting on Telegram, Arakhamia said it was “the most extensive ceasefire to date… along the largest section of the front line in southern Ukraine.”
“This is the largest de-escalation effort since 2022,” he added.
By late Tuesday afternoon local time, Lubinets confirmed that both Ukraine and Russia were “adhering” to the ceasefire in the designated areas.
Russian Human Rights Commissioner Lantratova also said that no violations of the ceasefire had been recorded on either side, adding: “It is very important that the agreements reached continue to be observed.”
Elsewhere, fighting continued.
A 46-year-old woman was killed and more than a dozen people were injured in an attack on Kyiv, which also damaged a bridge, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said.
Russia’s military said it carried out a “massive strike” targeting Ukrainian military facilities, a logistics center in Kharkiv, and transport infrastructure in Kyiv. It also said it intercepted and destroyed 222 Ukrainian drones over its territory.
How did Melania Trump broker the ceasefire?
The first lady announced Friday she had worked with Ukrainian and Russian leadership to secure the localized ceasefire as the “exclusive intermediary.”
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks,” Melania Trump said in a statement Friday.
“Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require,” she added.
“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday Kyiv had been working to negotiate this deal for “some time.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov credited Trump for her “significant contribution.”
Donald Trump praised his wife’s efforts on Friday, saying “they contacted both sides, and both sides wanted to do it.” He said that her focus remains on helping the children impacted by the war.
Pope Leo also discussed the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky on an October 16 phone call with Putin while in the hospital recovering from lung cancer surgery, according to the Vatican.
The first lady’s office said last week that the circumstances of Oleshky came to her attention during a private discussion at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.
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