Ukraine has announced a ceasefire in the battle-scarred town of Oleshky in the eastern Kherson region from 01:00 GMT on Tuesday, following a similar announcement by Russian army chief Valery Gerasimov.
The statement came hours after Gerasimov said Russian forces would observe a ceasefire in the Kherson sector from the same time.
“To carry out a humanitarian operation in the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, Ukraine is implementing a ceasefire in a designated area starting at 3:00 am on October 27, Kyiv time,” the Ukrainian military command said in a statement.
“The Ukrainian Defense Forces are doing everything possible to assist the residents of Oleshky and will make every effort to ensure the safety and rescue of our fellow citizens,” it added.
However, there has been no official confirmation of how long the ceasefire would last or the exact territory it would cover.
During a media interaction on Friday, US First Lady Melania Trump said she had brokered a localised ceasefire between the two sides in Oleshky, where residents have been struggling to access food and other basic necessities.
The ceasefire is intended to facilitate the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water,” Melania Trump said.
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible,” she added.
Oleshky came under Russian control during the initial days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trapped between Ukrainian positions across the Dnipro River and Russian forces to the east, residents have reportedly been facing severe shortages of food and other essential supplies.