The ceasefire on one side, but the bombs on the other. The truce in Oleshky, in southern Ukraine, began at dawn today to allow aid to the population. However, this is a very limited stop to the fighting: both fronts reported attacks that occurred during the night.
The situation in Oleshky
Oleshky is located along the Dnipro River, which marks the front line in the southern Kherson region. It has been under Russian occupation since the first weeks of the large-scale invasion that began in February 2022.
The city is less than 10 kilometers as the crow flies from Kherson, the regional capital, which was recaptured by the Ukrainian army during a counteroffensive in November 2022. It is under constant threat from explosive drones – both Russian and Ukrainian – targeting vehicles, while the roads leading to it are mined. The trapped inhabitants have been without food and medicine for several weeks.
Kiev and Moscow confirmed the suspension of the fighting, which occurred as scheduled at two in the morning. US first lady Melania Trump announced this localized measure to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. He also declared that residents intending to leave would receive coordinated assistance and the availability of means of transport “to the destination of their choice”. On this point, however, there are opposing views. Kiev accuses Russia of wanting to encourage the movement of people to territories under its control. Moscow denies it.
❗️Oleshky: Ceasefire Begins as Ukraine Fulfills Its Commitments
A ceasefire came into effect today at 3:00 am Kyiv time (4:00 am Moscow time) in designated areas related to the humanitarian mission.
☝️This is part of a humanitarian mission being carried out with the mediation and coordination of US First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS), in cooperation with Yana Lantratova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights.
As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honoring its commitments. The agreements were reached during negotiations with Yana Lantratova, head of the Russian negotiating team.
‼️I will continue to keep the public informed of developments, with the safety of civilians in Oleshky and compliance with the agreed arrangements remaining our top priorities.
— Dmytro Lubinets (@lubinetzs) October 27, 2026
The attacks
Outside Oleshky, however, the bombing shows no sign of stopping. In Kiev, under near-permanent alert, Russian attacks killed one person near a supermarket and damaged medical facilities. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the South Bridge was hit, with damage to the subway infrastructure which made it necessary to partially suspend service.
“Russian ballistic missiles hit the Kiev university complex and the surrounding area, i.e. the campus, Kyoto park, the area near a metro station and some residential buildings. The exact number of victims is not yet known. But, tragically, there are victims. There are wounded. Rescue operations are underway”, reports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Russians also launched attacks in Kharkiv, killing two people. Mayor Igor Terekhov confirmed this in a post on Telegram taken up by Ukrinform.
In Russia, drone attacks have caused two victims in the border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod, according to local authorities.
Russian ballistic missiles struck the grounds of a university in Kyiv and the area around it – effectively the campus, Kyoto Park, the area near a metro station, and residential buildings. The exact number of casualties is not yet known. But tragically, there are victims. There are people injured. Rescue operations are underway. There is extensive damage, and there are also reports that people may be trapped under the rubble. All emergency services are at the scene and doing their work – saving lives. The missiles hit very crowded areas, and there is not a single military facility nearby. This was a strike directly on the city, on its infrastructure. Unfortunately, there may be more strikes coming. The attack with “shaheds” is also continuing – against Kyiv and our other cities and communities.
And it is precisely under such circumstances, when the threat is constant, when strikes can come at any moment and target cities and villages directly, that artificial delays in providing air defense to Ukraine help terror. It is important that political agreements be implemented promptly at the team level. It is important that our partners understand that Ukraine needs the proper tools to destroy Russian ballistic missile launchers. This would be the most effective way to save lives. It is important that the world sees that Russia is showing nothing but a desire to kill and continue waging war. Ukraine must not be left to face this alone, and it is solely Russia’s fault that the war is still going on and people are still dying. Please take care of yourselves. All partners should stand with Ukraine – with the protection of lives.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 26, 2026