Russia and Ukraine agree to local ceasefire in Oleshky amid deepening humanitarian crisis

The White House said on Friday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, where a deepening humanitarian crisis has left thousands of civilians struggling to survive.

In a statement, the White House said both sides had agreed to halt all military operations in the city from 29 October to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and preparations for the evacuation of civilians. Moscow and Kyiv are yet to comment on the developments.

Residents of the southern Ukrainian city, which has been under Russian occupation since February 2022, have described increasingly desperate conditions amid severe shortages of food, water and electricity. An estimated 2,000 remain in the city, with some reportedly forced to survive on weeds, boiled grass, bread and meagre rations.

The statement said the ceasefire was brokered by Melania Trump, and her representative worked directly with ​Russian and Ukrainian ‌leadership to define the ​terms.

“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” Melania Trump said.

Ukraine has for weeks been pushing for a civilian evacuation from Oleshky and nearby settlements, at times using drones to airdrop emergency food and medical supplies into town.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue to report widespread disruptions to the Starlink satellite network, despite Donald Trump’s claim that Elon Musk had lifted restrictions on the service.

The slowdown, which has affected the key communications system used by Ukrainian troops, began last week after Trump and Starlink founder Musk publicly criticised Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over continued strikes on Russian oil refineries.

The restrictions have raised questions and confusion about who ordered the slowdown and why, with both Trump and Musk denying responsibility.

“I don’t comment one way or the other,” Trump said on Thursday when asked about reports that he had personally called Musk to demand the restrictions be lifted.

“The bottom line: he put it back.”

But Ukrainian officials said on Friday morning that speeds remained capped at about 100mph, with no indication that the restrictions had been lifted.

“At present, we have not observed any lifting of the restrictions on Starlink,” said Serhii Beskrestnov, a military expert who advises Zelenskyy.

“There have been isolated cases in which Starlink has operated at speeds slightly above the imposed limits, but this is likely due to SpaceX’s algorithms or specific conditions of use, rather than any lifting of the restrictions,” Beskrestnov added.

The speed restrictions have prevented Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, from maintaining a connection to the satellite network when travelling at high speeds, hampering both offensive drone operations and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks.

The slowing down of Starlink, coupled with Zelenskyy’s complaints that Washington had temporarily suspended intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, have plunged relations between Ukraine and the US to a new low in recent days.

Tensions first flared after Washington’s surprise decision to lift sanctions on Russia and begin importing Russian diesel, as Trump sought to bring down US energy prices before the midterm elections. Maritime tracking data showed that the first tanker carrying Russian diesel was en route to New York on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Russia launched another overnight barrage against Ukraine, even as Moscow said a fresh round of US-brokered talks aimed at ending the war could take place next month.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Friday that trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US were expected to resume in Abu Dhabi in November. Previous rounds of negotiations have failed to produce a breakthrough, with Moscow and Kyiv far away over the terms of any peace settlement.

Among Russia’s maximalist demands are that Ukraine withdraw its forces from territory it still controls in the east of the country, drastically reduce the size of its military and adopt a neutral status that would rule out Nato membership.

Speaking to a Russian state television reporter late on Thursday, Putin once again questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty, echoing claims he has repeatedly made throughout the war.

“The lands lost by Kyiv are not their territory, they are Russia’s historical lands,” Putin said.

The Russian president also cited unspecified genetic research to revive his longstanding claim that Russians and Ukrainians were “one people”, before insisting that Moscow would achieve all the objectives of its full-scale invasion.