Ukraine War | Ceasefire in Oleschky: role model or further disappointment?

Russian soldiers demining Oleschky. Here civilians should be allowed to leave the encircled place on the front line. Photo: imago/ZUMA Press There is a ceasefire in Ukraine. In a limited area not far from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, no explosion has been heard since 3 a.m. on October 27th. “It is the biggest de-escalation since 2022. Such a de-escalation brings the long-awaited peace in Ukraine closer,” says Dawyd Arachamija, parliamentary group leader of the Ukrainian ruling Servant of the People party, on his Telegram channel.

On the initiative of US First Lady Melania Trump and after long negotiations in which the Vatican was also involved, the warring parties agreed on a ceasefire in the area of ​​the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. Pope Leo XIV and his representatives, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, had advocated for a humanitarian solution for Oleschky during their visits to Russia. Cardinal Zuppi also managed to meet with Ukrainian prisoners of war. Until then, Russia had not allowed any representative of another state to make such a visit.

The ceasefire is to apply until November 1st at 10:59 p.m. The special thing about the agreement is that it is not limited to individual sections of the front. Since its entry into force, no explosions have been heard not only in the Russian-controlled Oleshky, but also in the Ukrainian-controlled Kherson. According to consistent reports from residents, the streets of Kherson in the days of this ceasefire are busier than they have been in years.

"It is the largest de-escalation since 2022. Such a de-escalation brings the long-awaited peace in Ukraine closer."

In Oleschky, where more than 20,000 people lived before the war and around 2,000 still live today, there is a humanitarian catastrophe. The Russian-occupied city was regularly shelled and is largely cut off from the outside world due to mined access routes. Everything is missing: drinking water, electricity, medicine and food.

On Thursday morning, Ukrainian and Russian delegates set off on a joint mission in Gomel, Belarus. Their goal: to enable a humanitarian corridor to Oleschky during this ceasefire. They boarded a Russian military plane together, as a video from the Belarusian agency Belta shows.

The humanitarian operation should begin with clearing mines. Food, drinking water and medicine should then be brought to Oleschky. A team of doctors is also expected to travel to the city. As Melanie Trump announced on social networks, four American journalists will report on the action from on site. They will be accompanied by both Russian and Ukrainian military personnel.

All residents should then be given the opportunity to leave the city. Everyone can decide for themselves whether they want to go to Russia or to the areas of Ukraine controlled by Kiev. The action is coordinated jointly by the Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lyubinets and the Russian human rights commissioner Jana Lantratova. Photos show the two of them several times on Ljubinez's Instagram account.

While the regional ceasefire raises hope, the war continues unabated in other parts of Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine again attacked Moscow and a chemical plant in the Russian Far East with drones. Russia, for its part, continued its attacks on Ukraine almost every hour. The train station in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was shelled. The drone hit a platform where there was a local train and a passenger train to Zaporizhzhia. According to Ukrainian information, 14 people were killed and at least 14 others were injured, including an 11-year-old boy.

On the Ukrainian side there are also concerns about two aspects of the ceasefire. On the one hand, one wonders what happens to Oleschky's children, especially those who live without their parents. Will they actually be free to decide whether they want to be taken to Russia or to the areas controlled by Kiev?

From a Ukrainian perspective, the reputation of the Russian human rights commissioner Lantratova offers little reason for trust. According to the Ukrainian accusation, she was obviously involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children. Ukrainian investigators accuse her of helping to transport a girl named Margarita from a children's home in occupied Kherson to Russia.

What is particularly explosive is who later adopted the girl: Sergei Mironov, chairman of the Kremlin-friendly Just Russia party and long-time companion of President Vladimir Putin.

People in Ukraine are also wondering what impact the ceasefire and the evacuation of Oleshky will have on the population of neighboring towns. The humanitarian situation there is no better. But the shooting continues there. If, as can be assumed, people from these neighboring towns flee to Oleschky in the hope of being evacuated, they are exposing themselves to an increased risk of being shot at. But the crucial question is: What will happen on November 1st at 11 p.m.? Will the ceasefire that ends at 10:59 p.m. really end? Or will it perhaps be expanded, regionally and temporally? Will it be a model for further regional ceasefires, or will we be disappointed again?

This article cost you nothing. Us: research, production and technology. We saved on office rent as well as on printing and distribution. And we gave up salary. Nevertheless, the calculation doesn't work without you. We need 300,000 euros by the end of the year. You pay what you can, in return we keep writing.

No paywall, no small print, just one goal: that nd stays.