Oleshky Residents Face Four-Day Window to Escape Hunger and Blackouts
A ceasefire starting October 27 aims to evacuate 2,000 people from the occupied city, while satellite internet disruptions complicate Ukraine's defense.
By Thomas Obasi ·
A four-day pause in fighting begins in Oleshky on October 27 to allow 2,000 residents to leave the occupied city.
The White House announced on Friday that Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt military operations in the southern Ukrainian town starting October 27. The goal is to deliver aid and prepare for civilian evacuation. First Lady Melania Trump brokered the truce, with her representative working directly with leaders from both sides to set the terms. She stated that residents choosing to evacuate would receive coordinated transportation to their preferred destination, noting that some may go to Russia and others to Ukraine.
Life in Oleshky has become increasingly desperate since Russian forces occupied the city in February 2022. An estimated 2,000 people remain inside the town, where shortages of food, water, and electricity have intensified. Residents have described surviving on weeds, boiled grass, and meager rations. Ukrainian officials have pushed for civilian evacuation for weeks, using drones to airdrop emergency food and medical supplies into the area. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's ombudsman, said on Friday that the mission will include demining roads, delivering food, and evacuating civilians. He emphasized that a sufficient quantity of humanitarian aid would be delivered to meet the needs of everyone requiring it, adding that officials want the effort to extend beyond Oleshky.
The agreement follows a series of diplomatic attempts to arrange a humanitarian pause. Ukrainian officials previously claimed that Russia rejected earlier calls for a ceasefire. Pope Leo XIV, the United Nations, EU officials, and the Council of Europe all urged a halt in fighting. Lubinets told Reuters on Friday that he believed an agreement was near as recently as October 18, without citing a role for the first lady at that time.
Ukrainian forces reported widespread disruption to the Starlink satellite network on Friday, despite claims that restrictions had been lifted. The slowdown began last week after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk publicly criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over strikes on Russian oil refineries. Both men denied responsibility for the disruption. Trump told reporters on Friday that he had heard the issue was fixed but would speak to Musk if it was not. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Trump in a phone call that Ukraine needs full access to Starlink, according to Downing Street.
Ukrainian officials said internet speeds remained capped at about 100 mph throughout Friday. Serhii Beskrestnov, a military expert advising Zelenskyy, said no lifting of the restrictions had been observed. The speed cap prevents Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, from staying connected when moving at high speed. This has hampered offensive drone operations and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks.
The Starlink issue, along with complaints that Washington temporarily suspended intelligence sharing, has pushed relations between Ukraine and the US to a new low. Tensions flared when Washington lifted sanctions on Russia and began importing Russian diesel to lower US energy prices before the midterm elections. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that three tankers were heading to the US and that Russian companies could supply 500,000 metric tonnes in October.
Russia launched another overnight barrage on Ukraine on Friday. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US are expected to resume in Abu Dhabi in November. Earlier rounds of talks produced no breakthrough, and Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on key issues. Russia demands a Ukrainian withdrawal from eastern territory it still holds, a drastic cut in the size of its military, and neutral status that would rule out NATO membership. Late on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin told a Russian state television reporter that the lands lost by Kyiv are Russia's historical lands and insisted Moscow would achieve all objectives of its full-scale invasion.
