Ceasefire extended across Ukraine's Kherson region, officials say

ByPaul Kirby, Europe digital editor, Olga Malchevska and Dan Johnson, in Kyiv.

Key points

• Before the war Oleshky was home to 24, 000 individuals, but it was seized by Russia during the first days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
• An estimated 1, 700 to 2, 000 individuals remain in Oleshky itself and a few thousand more in surrounding areas.
• That was afterwards corroborated by the press secretary to Ukraine's public ombudsman, and by Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of Kherson.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked everything was proceeding "according to plan", and paid tribute to US mediation and in particular representatives of Melania Trump.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha remarked if the ceasefire produced results, it could "pave the way for other steps in the peace process".

As sources indicate, a ceasefire that began with the aim of getting food and medicine to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky has been extended throughout the wider southern region of Kherson.

In practice, a number of thousand residents are trapped in the city with no access to food, water and electricity. While Russian forces are on the other and all the roads out are too dangerous, on one side is the Dnipro river.

Nevertheless, no breaches of the truce that began early on Tuesday have so far been noted.

US First Lady Melania Trump. This person supported broker the ceasefire along with Pope Leo XIV, stated on Tuesday that the area involved had been expanded to provide "safe passage" for humanitarian convoys.

That was afterwards corroborated by the press secretary to Ukraine's public ombudsman, and by Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of Kherson. This person stated Russian shelling had halted both in Kherson city, which is in Ukrainian hands, and the wider region.

Under the accord, the ceasefire will be followed by deliveries of humanitarian aid to Oleshky and then evacuations, planned for Friday, for anyone wishing to leave.

Notably, an estimated 1, 700 to 2, 000 individuals remain in Oleshky itself and a few thousand more in surrounding areas.

Plenty of residents have resorted to cooking garden weeds to survive, telling the BBC they are suffering extreme hunger and want to leave.

Both sides remarked the ceasefire was being observed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked everything was proceeding "according to plan", and paid tribute to US mediation and in particular representatives of Melania Trump.

For context, a key official in President Volodymyr Zelensky's parliamentary party, David Arakhamia, remarked it would continue until 22: 59 Ukrainian time on Sunday 1 November, and described the truce as the "largest de-escalation since 2022".

No shops are open, and the city has had no electricity, gas or water since the Kakhovka Dam was blown up in 2023, flooding the area and killing plenty of residents in Oleshky itself.

Conditions have become so desperate that not only is getting supplies into the city extremely tough, but escaping is too risky as the routes out of Oleshky have been mined and subject to drone attack.

One woman informed the BBC she had stepped on a landmine and was at present in hospital where she had undergone two operations: "I don't know how long I will have to spend there, " she noted, worried concerning not being able to join the evacuation.

Pope Leo appealed earlier this month to Russia's President Vladimir Putin to allow food and medical aid into Oleshky as well as a safe evacuation, and pressed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to co-operate with Moscow over a ceasefire.

Then the White House remarked last week that Melania Trump had secured a ceasefire.

On Tuesday, the US first lady remarked on X that the area covered by the ceasefire "has expanded beyond Oleshky, within the Kherson region, to provide safe passage for the humanitarian convoys".

Meanwhile, the current truce is supposed to enable roads to be cleared of mines for supplies to obtain into the city possibly on Thursday, and for residents to have safe passage out in an evacuation planned for Friday.

Russia's defence ministry remarked units from the army's Dnepr group had been conducting "engineering reconnaissance" and clearing main access roads into the village of "explosive and booby-trap devices".

Plenty of details on the evacuation aims are unclear, and residents are wary of trusting authorities with their names and addresses. Nevertheless, a local volunteer informed the BBC that regarding 500 residents had already expressed interest by Tuesday afternoon.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied areas of Kherson, remarked temporary accommodation had been prepared in the region itself as well as Russian-annexed Crimea and throughout the Russian border in the Rostov, Krasnodar and Stavropol regions.

Although his account has not been corroborated on the ground, saldo informed Russian media that most Oleshky residents wanted to leave the city and stay in Russia.

It is hard to create contact with residents there as communication is patchy and plenty of are reluctant to speak of the situation in fear of reprisals from the Russians.

Those residents or relatives who have spoken to the BBC have expressed fears that Russia may not allow them to return to Ukraine, or might examine their phones and online activity for signs of Ukrainian backing. It could put them in danger.

Ukraine's military general staff pressed residents not to trust unverified reports or spread rumours regarding "the routes, time and place of the movement of people and humanitarian convoys".

White House notes Melania Trump brokered truce for Ukraine city 'on brink of disaster'.

Eating garden weeds to survive in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water.

To stay or risk the 'Road of Death' – Ukrainian civilians trapped in frontline city.

Zelensky has cautioned that routes out of Oleshky that are demined by Russia will ensure that those civilians leaving Oleshky will "head towards Russia and stay there".

He remarked some residents would secure to Ukrainian-controlled territory "one way or another", and that ideally anyone trapped would be able to reach their destination and evacuate to Ukraine.

One resident called Serhii. This person fled Oleshky through minefields around three weeks ago, remarked he had eventually returned to Ukraine via Russia and Belarus. He pressed a route throughout the River Dnipro that avoided Russian-occupied territory, saying "you simply cannot trust the Russian Federation".

Nevertheless, bridges throughout the River Dnipro have been destroyed and sources say the riverbank is additionally mined and dangerous, so crossing into Ukrainian-controlled territory appears impossible.

Throughout the river, in Kherson city, no explosions have been heard and no drone-related injuries noted since 03: 00 (01: 00 GMT) on Tuesday and cars and pedestrians have been moving freely, according to local reports.

Tolokonnikov did not know how long the truce in Kherson city and the wider region would last but remarked he believed it would continue as long as the US was involved in the evacuation process. Extra reporting by Anastasiia Levchenko in Kyiv.

Taken together, the developments around ceasefire extended across Ukraine' s Kherson region, officials say point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.