Ukraine, Russia Agree Ceasefire Timetable for Oleshky Mission

Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a synchronized ceasefire timetable to conduct an emergency humanitarian mission in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in southern Kherson region, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets announced.

Lubinets confirmed that he finalized the operational timeline during direct consultations with Yana Lantratova, head of the Russian negotiating team. Under the agreed framework, the localized silence regime will take effect across the designated sector on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time (4:00 a.m. Moscow time).

“I informed the Russian side that the ceasefire will take effect from Oct. 27 at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time,” Lubinets stated.

“The Russian commissioner, for her part, informed me of the same – that from the Russian side, the regime of silence is established from Oct. 27 at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time. That is the exact same time.”

The Ukrainian ombudsman noted that preliminary arrangements are proceeding as planned, adding that both sides are adhering to their initial commitments to enable the arrival of relief convoys and organize civilian evacuations.

Humanitarian operation

The bilateral agreement establishes a humanitarian framework encompassing an operational silence regime, the delivery of emergency food and medical consignments, and the phased evacuation of non-combatants trapped in the ruined Dnipro left-bank enclave.

Other Topics of Interest

Ukraine Is Winning Time on the Battlefield, But Can It Win the Battle for Its Future?

Ukraine is demonstrating remarkable resilience on the battlefield. Now it must secure its future.

Lubinets emphasized that the humanitarian operation will be executed in gradual phases given the extreme physical, tactical, and logistical hazards confronting the mission on the ground.

The ombudsman expressed formal gratitude to United States First Lady Melania Trump and her diplomatic team for facilitating technical consultations and mediating the dialogue between Ukrainian and Russian negotiating delegations.

Critical survival conditions in the left-bank enclave

The humanitarian corridor is engineered to relieve an estimated 1,700 civilians who have remained isolated under Russian military occupation in Oleshky since early 2022.

The enclave has been entirely severed from authorized commercial freight convoys and institutional humanitarian assistance since late May, while central municipal utilities – including municipal electrical networks, running water, and central heating – have suffered extensive damage ahead of freezing winter temperatures.

Earlier in the month, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that Russian forces had turned the municipal core into a “death trap,” noting that exit roads and river routes leading away from the city were mined and monitored by loitering strike drones.

Local residents reported severe food shortages, an exhaustion of essential pharmaceuticals, and the presence of unburied deceased in residential courtyards due to continuous operational hazards.

The worsening humanitarian collapse in Oleshky had previously drawn top-level international appeals, including a telephone consultation between Pope Leo XIV and Russian President Vladimir Putin urging a localized ceasefire to permit the evacuation of vulnerable non-combatants, alongside direct calls from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk demanding unfettered access for international relief agencies.