Russia and Ukraine said on Thursday that demining operations around the embattled Russian-held town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine had been completed and that an operation to bring aid into the town and allow residents to leave was ready to begin.
– “Demining operations of routes have been completed for the humanitarian mission in Oleshky,” the two sides said in virtually identical statements issued by Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, and Dmytro Lubinets, her Ukrainian counterpart.
– “The humanitarian convoy is ready for departure.”
– The statement said the convoy would head for the district hospital and residents wishing to leave would be permitted to go within a specific time frame and “all safety measures ensured”.
– Aid packages would then be distributed, it said.
– Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a localised ceasefire around Oleshky, an arrangement that will enable aid deliveries and allow evacuations from a frontline town suffering acute shortages of food and medicine.
– The agreement was announced on October 23 and brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, with the additional involvement of Pope Leo,