WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights announced route demining in Oleshky, Ukraine is underway. This follows a ceasefire agreement brokered by First Lady Melania Trump late last week and called to evacuate civilians and get aid to people. So far, the ceasefire deal has held.
“I think it’s a very good sign,” said Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of the nonprofit Hope for Ukraine.
Oleshky is a southern Ukrainian city in the Kherson region. It’s one of many cities occupied by Russia since the latest war beginning in 2022. Officials and activists raised the alarm for Oleshky after they said Russia cut off all aid to the town and planted mines to keep people from evacuating, trapping they believe about two-thousand people. They’re without access to food, water, electricity, and medical aid. Reports state some even resorted to eating grass just to get by.
“I spoke to our team on the ground in Kherson and they said this is the first time in a long time where they see a lot of pedestrians out walking the streets,” said Boyechko. “One thing that struck me was that they are enjoying the silence. They told me prior to the ceasefire they heard drones or missiles.”
Boyechko worries that Russia could use this ceasefire as a time to regroup their military and stage them closer to the Kherson region. In regards for larger ceasefire agreements, Boyechko said tactical humanitarian pauses like this one should not be mistaken for nationwide peace templates.
“We’re talking about a very small area where limited humanitarian relief for about two-thousand people so, when you’re talking about the whole of Ukraine there has to be a lot of things to take into consideration, such as security guarantees, moving military equipment and units,” said Boyechko. “So, to use that for blueprint for entire war is not really feasible.”
There is other reporting that said Russia and Ukraine could meet for US mediated peace talks as soon as next month.
