A Ukrainian official says a humanitarian convoy bound for Oleshky is ready after being assembled in Armyansk, about 85 kilometres away.
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A humanitarian convoy aimed at reaching residents of Oleshky has been set up in a nearby town, with a Ukrainian official saying the aid mission is scheduled to take place later Friday.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman and chief negotiator, said the convoy includes 25 buses, ambulances and other vehicles, adding that “We are bringing humanitarian aid to the local residents of the city of Oleshky.”
Lubinets said the convoy’s “main task is to ensure that this aid reaches every person who needs it,” and he said the mission would give “special attention to the elderly, people with disabilities.”
According to Lubinets, the convoy was assembled in Armyansk, a town in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine about 85 kilometres (53 miles) south of Oleshky.
Oleshky, located just inside Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, drew global attention after residents became stranded by heavy fighting, with mined roads and shortages of food and medicine.
The localized ceasefire that enabled the aid mission was brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump, who held talks with Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova. Moscow and Kyiv have observed the truce in and around Oleshky since Tuesday, though the countries remain engaged in the broader war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion more than 4 1/2 years ago.
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