- The White House says First Lady Melania Trump has brokered a localized ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the war-ravaged city of Oleshky.
- Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has a remaining population of 1,700 to 2,000 people who are primarily elderly residents, along with about 50 children, down from roughly 24,000 before the war.
- The city has been occupied by Russian forces since the first days of Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion and suffered massive devastation, including catastrophic flooding caused by the Kakhovka Dam explosion in June 2023 covering about 90% of the city.
- Civilians trapped in the battered city have endured months without electricity, running water, heat, or basic medical supplies, facing severe risks of hunger and disease as winter approaches.
- The humanitarian agreement comes after Ukraine repeatedly requested local truces for evacuations, which Russia had previously refused to commit to despite its legal obligations as an occupying power.
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