Oleshky ceasefire between Russia, Ukraine ends with no violations reported

By Kanyshai Butun

ISTANBUL (AA) – A multi-day ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Oleshky ended late Sunday with no violations reported by either side.

The truce, announced by US first lady Melania Trump to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations, took effect Tuesday and was extended beyond Oleshky, in the Kherson region, to provide safe passage for humanitarian convoys.

Trump said the ceasefire had given residents the freedom to move and access to food, clean water, and medicine, as well as "a renewed sense of dignity without the constant threat of attack."

“Let Oleshky become the starting point for lasting peace,” she wrote on US social media platform X.

The humanitarian mission in Oleshky ended Friday, with Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova stressing that both sides had honored the localized ceasefire.

She proposed to make humanitarian missions coordinated by the first lady a regular initiative, saying the Oleshky operation and cooperation with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets, had shown that such arrangements could help civilians “even under difficult conditions.”

On Saturday, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said: “This is the longest ceasefire observed by both sides since 2022.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha separately said the humanitarian mission in Oleshky could serve as a confidence-building measure and pave the way for further steps in the peace process, stressing that Kyiv had “acted in good faith and kept its word.”

“If hostilities can be stopped in one place, they can be stopped everywhere, and permanently. Ukraine is ready. We expect the same from Russia,” he said.