Ceasefire Dispute: Russia Accused of Military Activity During Oleshky Humanitarian Mission

A temporary truce in Kherson Oblast has become a point of contention between Moscow and Kyiv.

Maksym Kravchuk, the spokesperson for the Pivden Group of Forces, stated that Russian forces used the pause in fighting for military gains. He said Russian units rotated into the area, fortified their positions, and installed anti-drone protection on roads. Kravchuk added that Russian logistics were strengthened and new ammunition was brought in during the ceasefire period. He described the enemy claims that Ukraine was violating the agreement as false.

Kravchuk said Ukrainian units strictly observed the ceasefire terms. He noted that Russian reconnaissance drones were spotted repeatedly during the agreed pause. He also reported that Russian troops dropped munitions from drones, an action he said was intended to discredit Ukrainian forces and portray them as the ones breaking the agreement.

The Pivden Group of Forces defined the ceasefire as strictly humanitarian. The goal was to assist civilians and evacuate them to Ukrainian-controlled territory. Kravchuk noted that his units monitored the situation closely and tracked Russian actions to prevent potential threats and provocations.

The current ceasefire was announced by Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, on October 27. It began at 03:00 Kyiv time. Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed the introduction of the truce. The agreement was reached following an announcement by the White House on October 23 that Melania Trump had secured the deal. The truce was scheduled to end at 22:59 on November 1.

On October 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared the humanitarian operation in Russian-occupied Oleshky successfully completed. He stated that all evacuated Ukrainian citizens had crossed the border into Ukraine in Chernihiv Oblast.