00:01U.S. First Lady Melania Trump has secured an agreement between Ukraine and Russia to
00:06temporarily hold military operations in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, the White
00:11House announced on Friday. The localized ceasefire is scheduled to begin on the 29th of October,
00:17with the intent being to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and evacuate civilians trapped near
00:22the front line. The White House said that the First Lady had initiated the discussions and
00:27that she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define
00:32the terms of the ceasefire. Oleshky is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis, with severe
00:38shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while attempts to escape have exposed civilians to
00:44mines and drone attacks. The city was captured on the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion of
00:50Ukraine in 2022. It was further devastated by flooding following the destruction of the
00:56Kakhovda Dam in June 2023, which submerged large parts of the area and damaged already fragile
01:03infrastructure. Before Russia's full-scale invasion, it had approximately 24,000 residents.
01:09According to White House estimates, only 1,700 to 2,000 remain, including around 50 children.
