This article was originally published in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Read the original article.
The US-negotiated cease-fire aimed at allowing humanitarian aid into the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky took effect in the early hours of October 27, shortly after Russian air attacks struck Kyiv, hitting a university dormitory and other civilian sites and killing at least one person.
The start of the cease-fire, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump last week and confirmed by Moscow and Kyiv, comes amid what she described as a dire situation in Oleshky, a frontline city on the brink of disaster, where the remaining population consists primarily of elderly residents urgently in need of medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.
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"The cease-fire has begun, and the Ukrainian side is honoring its commitments," Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, wrote on Telegram on October 27.
"Today, at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time and 4:00 a.m. Moscow time, a cease-fire was introduced in designated areas associated with the humanitarian mission," he added.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had halted fire in the Kherson direction and introduced a "cease-fire regime" ahead of a planned humanitarian operation in Oleshky.
Petro Andryushchenko, a former Mariupol mayoral adviser who now heads the Center for the Study of the Occupation, told Current Time that demining operations near Oleshky were expected to begin on October 27, followed by a humanitarian convoy and an evacuation scheduled for October 30. However, Russian restrictions were preventing a more thorough evacuation of civilians.
"Yesterday, we saw that the Russians had brought in a sapper unit that is supposed to carry out this work. So we hope that the actual process will indeed begin today," Andryushchenko said.
"Evacuation vehicles are supposed to arrive directly at the hospital building in Oleshky. And that is where the evacuation is essentially supposed to begin," he added.
Oleshky lies on the Russian-occupied bank of the Dnieper River, opposite the regional capital of Kherson. Before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the city had approximately 24,000 residents.
Melania Trump's office estimates that between 1,700 and 2,000 people remain, including about 50 children. Most are believed to be elderly residents who have been unable or unwilling to leave. There has been no formal demographic count since 2022.
The city has endured years of fighting, displacement, and isolation. The destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 compounded the devastation, with an estimated 90 percent of Oleshky's territory flooded.
Russian air attacks struck Kyiv late on October 26, hitting a university dormitory and other civilian sites and killing at least one person. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukraine's partners to provide the "proper tools" for the country to defend itself.
Russian forces launched 16 ballistic missiles and 280 drones at Ukraine overnight, Zelenskyy said on October 27, while the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian air defenses had shot down or intercepted two ballistic missiles and 255 drones.
"Russia is constantly taking new steps toward escalation," the Ukrainian leader said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least 14 people were injured in the strikes, "most of whom were students from a university dormitory."
Klitschko also reported that a Russian strike damaged a major bridge spanning the Dnieper River in Kyiv.
"Experts are assessing the extent of the damage to the Southern Bridge. Traffic across the bridge is currently closed," he wrote on Telegram.
"It is precisely under such circumstances, when the threat is constant, when strikes can come at any moment and target cities and villages directly, that artificial delays in providing air defense to Ukraine help terror," Zelenskyy said in a post on social media.
"It is important that our partners understand that Ukraine needs the proper tools to destroy Russian ballistic missile launchers. This would be the most effective way to save lives. It is important that the world sees that Russia is showing nothing but a desire to kill and continue waging war. "
In its latest report issued on October 26, the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said that the Russian authorities had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by attacking civilians and critical energy infrastructure, among other violations of international law.
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US lawmakers have been challenging President Donald Trump's decision to ease restrictions on Russian energy imports and demanding guarantees that Kyiv will retain access to critical American military and intelligence support.
In a series of legislative initiatives, congressional inquiries, and appeals to the administration, Republicans and Democrats have warned that decisions benefiting Moscow or disrupting Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities could undermine US national security, weaken congressional authority, and prolong Russia’s war.
The pushback comes after the administration authorized transactions involving Russian diesel fuel, amid reports that Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starlink and military-grade Starshield satellite communications systems had been restricted.
Ukrainian officials say the disruptions have affected military operations, although they have said in recent days that satellite connection speeds had been restored. Questions remain about who imposed the restrictions.
For several months, Zelenskyy has also called on the US and other allies to step up supplies of critical defense systems such as Patriot missiles amid almost nightly barrages of Russian ballistic missiles and drones.
He said last week that Ukraine was still waiting for previously agreed deliveries of interceptors for Patriot air-defense systems.
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Russian officials deny targeting civilian infrastructure in the conflict, which has raged since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
The university hit in the attack was identified as the State University of Trade and Economics (SUTE), one of Kyiv's largest schools with more than 15,000 students.
Zelenskyy said on October 27 that he had spoken with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store following their calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We discussed preparations for the trilateral meeting planned for November at the team level -- Ukrainian, American, and Russian," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X after the call.
"Finland and Norway, as countries that border Russia, have a particular interest in sound and reliable security arrangements," he added.
The Nordic leaders said their talks with Putin focused on diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine ahead of upcoming meetings in Abu Dhabi.
"Stubb and Store initiated the call to discuss Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe," the statement released by the Finnish president's office said.
"Stubb and Store took the call as leaders of their respective countries and did not speak on behalf of Europe as a whole," the statement added.
The Kremlin confirmed the call, saying Putin insisted that peace was possible only if Russia's interests were fully taken into account.
It also said the Russian president blamed EU and NATO policies for prolonging the war in Ukraine, and informed the leaders about the start of a humanitarian operation in Oleshky.
Copyright (c)2025 RFE/RL, Inc. Used with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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