Oleshky Aid Convoy Ready to Depart as Demining Is Completed

Demining of routes into Russian-occupied Oleshky has been completed, with a humanitarian convoy now awaiting departure as the city’s ceasefire holds for nearly three days.Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets announced on Thursday evening, Oct. 29 that the humanitarian mission had entered its final stage. The convoy, already assembled, is expected to arrive at the town’s central hospital.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.From there, residents will be able to receive the assistance they need.“Delegations from Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the United States of America have now gathered to coordinate further steps within the humanitarian mission,” Lubinets said, adding that “Journalists from the three countries are also present.”Residents able to leave until 2 p.m.Those residents who wish to leave Oleshky will be able to do so only until 2 p.m., Lubinets said, adding that all necessary security measures would be in place.Distribution of humanitarian aid is formally set to begin after 2:30 p.m.Lubinets thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for her personal involvement as a mediator and coordinator, saying her efforts had made it possible to reach humanitarian agreements. The operation is being carried out with Russian human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova.On Wednesday, Oct. 28 Melania Trump announced that four journalists from the US conservative broadcaster Newsmax would be embedded with Ukrainian and Russian humanitarian officials in Oleshky. Other Topics of Interest Trilateral Delegation Arrives Ahead of Oleshky Aid Delivery as Newsmax Observers Draw Scrutiny US First Lady Melania Trump sent four Newsmax journalists to Oleshky on behalf of the US as neutral observers, while critics questioned her amplification of Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. The announcement drew scrutiny as the journalistic crew would act as the only “neutral observers” on behalf of the US side, with no US officials reportedly on the ground. 54+ hours into the Oleshky ceasefire, the First Lady amplifies Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev and bills a Newsmax crew as "neutral observers." With no US officials on the ground, that crew is effectively the American presence. The US side is reportedly coordinated by Marc Beckman,… https://t.co/SebejBf2Vr— Michael Bociurkiw (@WorldAffairsPro) October 29, 2026 Her statement also received criticism over sharing a post from Kremlin’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who welcomed the Newsmax journalists to report firsthand on the mission.Washington-Moscow economic tiesDmitriev heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which the US Treasury sanctioned in 2022.Since US President Donald Trump struck a diesel arrangement with Putin on Oct. 9, Dmitriev has become not only Moscow’s main economic channel to the Trump administration, but possibly a key negotiator in the ceasefire.US special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that the US Treasury was working with Dmitriev directly and Trump’s administration is reportedly reviewing a request to lift sanctions on the fund, which helped arrange Russian diesel shipments to the US.Fears over ‘human shields’According to Ukrainian human rights advocates, Moscow may try to keep part of the population in the city.Oleksandr Pavlichenko, executive director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, told Ukrainian Radio that Russia sees civilians in frontline Oleshky as a human shield against Ukrainian fire, Ukrinform reported on Oct. 29.Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, said Russian forces would almost certainly use the truce to move and rotate their units, adding that such activity could also take place on the Ukrainian side of the Dnipro River.Oleshky, which is located on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, has faced severe shortages of drinking water, food, and medicine.The last food delivery to the city was reported in May.According to Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s estimates, roughly 1,700 people remain in the city from a prewar population of 24,000, including 47 children.Mid-September, the residents had already started escaping on foot independently across mined fields and under threat of constant Russian drone attacks, Lubinets said, calling the city a “death trap.”Before the truce was officially announced, Pope Leo XIV held a telephone discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 16, urging him to agree to an immediate ceasefire and allow the delivery of food and medical assistance to the city.The pontiff then spoke to Zelensky on Monday, Oct. 19, reiterating his earlier request for a humanitarian ceasefire.On Oct. 20, European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno declared a hunger strike in protest over the starvation of civilians in Oleshky. 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