Ceasefire Begins in Oleshky, the Ukrainian City Where Residents Ate Weeds to Survive

A limited ceasefire took effect on Tuesday around Oleshky, a Ukrainian city in the Kherson region that has been under Russian occupation since the first days of the full scale invasion in February 2022. According to reporting by the BBC, Ukrainian officials and the Russian defence ministry both said the truce was being respected in its early hours.

The pause is meant to do two things. It is supposed to let food, water and medicine reach people who have been trapped for months, and it is supposed to give crews time to clear mines from the roads so that civilians who want to leave can do so in an evacuation planned for Friday.

A City Cut Off on Both Sides

Oleshky sits on the front line with the Dnipro River on one side, separating it from Ukrainian positions, and Russian forces on the other. Before the war it was home to about 24,000 people. Kyiv now believes up to 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in Oleshky and the surrounding area, with only about 1,700 still living in the city itself.

The BBC reported that the city has had no electricity, gas or running water for three years and that no shops are open. Residents told the broadcaster they have been cooking garden weeds to survive. Reuters reported that some have lived on a cup of rice or buckwheat a day, sometimes with a tomato or cucumber added.

Getting out has been as dangerous as staying. The routes leading away from the city have been mined and exposed to drone attacks, and the bridges across the river have been destroyed. One man who fled about three weeks ago told the BBC he walked roughly 15 miles through minefields before reaching safety by way of Russia and Belarus.

How the Truce Came Together

The White House said last week that First Lady Melania Trump had secured the localized ceasefire. Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow food and medical aid into Oleshky along with a safe evacuation, and he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with Moscow on a pause in fighting.

Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, has traveled to the area to coordinate the operation. He described it as a humanitarian mission carried out with the mediation of the first lady and in cooperation with Russia's human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova. Davyd Arakhamia, a Ukrainian lawmaker, said the truce is due to last until 11:59 p.m. local time on November 1.

Russia's defence ministry said it stopped firing toward the city of Kherson, across the river, early Tuesday morning and that army engineers were clearing main access roads of explosive devices.

Questions That Remain Open

Much is still unclear, and the BBC noted that communication with people inside Oleshky is patchy, making it hard to confirm on the ground how the truce is being carried out. Residents have asked how and where to register for the evacuation, whether they can bring their pets, and what kind of future waits for them if they leave their homes.

There are also deeper fears. Zelensky has warned that routes cleared by Russia could steer evacuees toward Russian territory rather than back to Ukraine. Some residents worry that their phones and online activity could be searched for signs of support for Kyiv. Others fear shooting could resume during the evacuation itself.

One resident put her doubts plainly to the BBC: "I don't believe in Russia's humanity." Another woman, hospitalized after stepping on a land mine, said she was worried she would not recover in time to join Friday's convoy.

Why This Small Truce Matters

A local pause around one city does not end a war. On Monday evening, attacks on Kyiv struck a university and a bridge, killing one person and injuring 14, and a Ukrainian drone strike on Bryansk in Russia killed one person, according to the BBC. Leaders in Europe continue to press for wider talks, and negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States have agreed to technical meetings in Abu Dhabi in early November.

Still, for the people of Oleshky, the next four days could decide whether they eat, whether they receive medical care and whether they finally get out. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Zelensky's office, said on Tuesday that it is critically important for the mission to proceed successfully and safely. Whether the guns stay quiet through Friday will be the real test.

I will keep following this story as the evacuation unfolds. If you want to help civilians caught in the war, consider giving to an established humanitarian organization working in Ukraine, and share this report so more people understand what is happening in Oleshky.