UN Chief Welcomes Ceasefire Agreement for Ukraine’s Oleshky

Dragon Media Newsroom

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed an agreement for an imminent ceasefire in Oleshky, in Ukraine’s Kherson region, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday.

In a statement, Dujarric said Guterres commended all those who had helped secure the arrangement. The secretary-general hopes it will ease the severe humanitarian situation, allow urgent life-saving aid to reach the town and enable residents to leave safely and voluntarily in accordance with international humanitarian law, the statement said. He also hopes similar arrangements can be made in other areas where civilians are suffering.

Russia’s Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Defence Minister Valery Gerasimov said Russian forces would begin a ceasefire in the Kherson direction at 4 a.m. Moscow time on October 27 to facilitate the humanitarian operation. The White House, however, said on October 23 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire in the Oleshky area beginning October 29.

The White House said the arrangement was intended to enable humanitarian aid deliveries and preparations for civilian evacuations through a designated safe corridor. It also said an independent US media organisation would monitor and document the actions of Russian and Ukrainian groups on the ground during the operation.