Image copyrightReuters/Handout
Paul Kirby, European Digital Editor, Olga Malczewska, Reporter, Dan Johnson, Ukraine Correspondent (Kiv)
A local ceasefire that began in Russian-occupied Oreshki, in the Russian-occupied southern region of Kherson province in Ukraine, appears to have been extended to a wider area in the Kherson province, where the city is located. The ceasefire is intended to allow humanitarian supplies to be brought in and civilians to be evacuated.
Thousands of residents of Oreshki, on the south bank of the Dnipro River, are currently trapped without food, water or electricity. Russian troops are stationed to the east of the city, and all roads out of the city are dangerous.
However, no violations of the ceasefire, which began at 3 a.m. local time on the 27th, have been reported so far.
Melania Trump, the US first lady who brokered the cease-fire with Pope Leo
Later, a spokesperson for Ukraine's human rights ombudsman and Kherson deputy mayor Oleksandr Tolokonnikov confirmed this statement. It said Russian artillery shelling had ceased both in the city of Kherson and surrounding areas controlled by Ukrainian forces.
Under the ceasefire, humanitarian supplies will be delivered to Oreshki, followed by an evacuation of those who wish to leave on the 30th.
An estimated 1,700 to 200 people remain in Oreshki itself, with thousands more evacuated in surrounding areas.
Many residents say they cook and eat weeds from their gardens to survive. He told the BBC he was suffering from extreme hunger and wanted to leave.
Both Russia and Ukraine said the ceasefire was being respected. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said everything was proceeding "as planned" and thanked the United States for its mediation, especially Melania's representatives.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha said if the ceasefire is successful, "it could pave the way for other steps in the peace process."
David Arahamia, head of parliament for Ukraine's ruling Servant of the People party, said the ceasefire would last until 10:59 p.m. Ukrainian time on November 1. He described the ceasefire as "the greatest easing of tensions since 2022."
Before the war, 24,000 people lived in Oreshki, but it was occupied during the early stages of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Since the explosion of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023, electricity, gas and water have been cut off in the city, resulting in many deaths in Oreshki alone.
The situation is extremely dire. Not only is it extremely difficult to get supplies into the city, but escape routes from Oreshki are also dangerous, as they are covered in landmines and targeted by drone attacks.
One woman who lives in Oreshki told the BBC that she had been hospitalized and underwent two surgeries after stepping on a landmine. "I don't know how long I will need to be hospitalized," said the woman, who was worried that she would not be able to participate in the evacuation.
Earlier this month, Pope Leo I appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow food and medical aid to reach Oreshki, as well as safe evacuation. At the same time, he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to work with Russia on a ceasefire.
Against this backdrop, on the 23rd, the US White House announced that Melania had reached a cease-fire.
On the social media platform X, Melania wrote on the 27th that the ceasefire area had been "extended beyond Oreshki and into the Kherson Oblast to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian aid convoys."
Image copyrightKsenia Arkhipova
The ceasefire is aimed at clearing landmines from roads so that supplies can be brought into the city on the 29th, and to ensure residents can safely escape during an evacuation scheduled for the 30th.
Russia's Defense Ministry said that the army's Dnepr troops carried out "engineer reconnaissance" and removed "explosive devices and booby traps" from the main access road to the village.
Many details of the evacuation plan are unclear, and residents are worried about revealing their names and addresses to authorities. However, local volunteers told the BBC that by Sunday afternoon around 500 people had expressed interest in evacuating.
Vladimir Sardo, the Russian-appointed head of the occupied Kherson region, said temporary accommodation was being prepared in the Kherson region itself, as well as in the Russian-annexed Crimea peninsula and across the Russian border in Rostov, Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.
Sardo told Russian media that the majority of Oreshki residents want to leave the city and remain in Russia. However, this statement has not been substantiated locally.
Image copyrightOmbudsman Dmytro Lubinets
It is difficult to contact local people. This is because communications are unstable and many people do not want to talk about the situation for fear of retaliation from Russia.
Residents and their families who spoke to the BBC fear that they and their families will be in danger because Russia may not allow them to return to Ukraine or may scrutinize their mobile phone and internet activity for signs of support for Ukraine.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces called on the public not to believe in unconfirmed reports or spread rumors regarding "the routes, times and locations of people's movements, as well as humanitarian aid convoys."
President Zelenskiy warned that the Russian-mined exit route from Oreshki would ensure that civilians escaping Oreshki "head to Russia and remain there."
However, the president said some residents would "one way or another" reach Ukrainian-controlled territory, adding that ideally all trapped residents would be evacuated to Ukraine once they reach their destination.
Serhiy, who was evacuated from Oreshki through a minefield about three weeks ago, said he eventually returned to Ukraine via Russia and Belarus. Serhiy said there was a need for a route across the Dnipro River that avoided Russian-occupied territory, stressing that ``the Russian Federation cannot be trusted.''
However, the bridge over the Dnipro River has been destroyed. According to sources, crossing the border into Ukrainian-controlled territory from here seems impossible because the riverbanks are also dangerous and have land mines.
Across the river, local media in the city of Kherson say no explosions have been heard since 3 a.m. on the 27th, when the ceasefire began, there have been no reports of drone-related injuries, and cars and pedestrians are moving freely.
Additional coverage: Reporter Anastasia Levchenko (Kiu)
(English article: Ceasefire extended across Ukraine's Kherson region, officials say)
