Kyiv residents have been demanding help for the people of Oleshky. (Reuters: Alina Smutko)
In short:
A regional truce between Russia and Ukraine is in effect in order to establish a humanitarian corridor for the city of Oleshky.
Melania Trump announced the truce last week, saying civilian officials would provide aid to residents and help them leave if they wished.
What's next?
US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume next month.
A ceasefire brokered with the assistance of Melania Trump has come into effect in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.
Both sides said they would observe the truce, which began on Tuesday at 3am, local time, to allow for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor.
In a Telegram post, the Russian defence ministry said it had halted shelling in the direction of the city of Kherson, which faces Oleshky across the Dnipro River.
Ukrainian negotiator and parliamentary human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on social media that his country was "honouring its commitments".
He said the deal was reached with the help of the US first lady and the cooperation of Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova.
The city, on the southern bank of the Dnipro River, was seized by Russian troops in 2022.
The population of Oleshky has dropped from about 24,000 before the Russian invasion in 2022 to about 2,000 today, including as many as 50 children, according to Ukrainian and US estimates.
Earlier this year former residents told AFP that those still in the city were hunting pigeons or subsisting on whatever they had in their garden.
The city was heavily damaged by the 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which unleashed major flooding along the Dnipro River.
A destroyed building in Oleshky. (Reuters)
The ceasefire comes as the Ukraine war grinds through its fifth year and ahead of the resumption of peace talks between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv next month.
None of the parties have said who will monitor the truce, or given details about the humanitarian operation set to accompany it.
"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," she said.
US cable network Newsmax says it has been granted "exclusive television access" to accompany observers entering the city later this week.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine have said how long the truce would last.
In the meantime, Russian strikes have continued on Kyiv.
On Tuesday morning, the Ukrainian air force command issued nearly a dozen messages warning of ballistic missiles fired toward the capital.
Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said a strike hit the Southern Bridge -- one of Kyiv's main bridges -- and damaged its metro infrastructure.
AFP/Reuters