Oleshky aid: Convoy staged for Friday delivery

A humanitarian convoy for the city of Oleshky was positioned in the nearby town of Armyansk on Thursday.

Ukraine's ombudsman and chief negotiator, Dmytro Lubinets, said the fleet includes 25 buses, ambulances, and other vehicles. The aid mission is scheduled to begin later Friday. Lubinets stated that the goal is to ensure assistance reaches every resident who needs it. He noted that the team is paying special attention to elderly residents and people with disabilities.

Armyansk is located in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, approximately 85 kilometers south of Oleshky. Oleshky sits just inside Russian-occupied territory in the Kherson region. Residents of the city became stranded after heavy fighting and mined roads cut off supply lines. The population subsequently ran out of food and medicine, drawing global attention to the crisis.

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump brokered the localized ceasefire and the aid mission. She led talks with Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova. Moscow and Kyiv have observed the truce in and around the city since Tuesday. Both sides remain fully engaged in the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion more than 4½ years ago. Previous ceasefire talks failed or the resulting truces quickly fell apart.

The convoy is ready to depart for Oleshky as the deadline for the aid mission approaches.