Ukraine: Oleshky ceasefire offers ‘hope’ for civilians as attacks on aid vehicles continue

“Let this pave the way for vital aid to get in, and more humanitarian access on both sides of the frontline,” Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in a social media post, also relayed by the Secretary-General’s Spokesperson on Friday.

The ceasefire aimed at relieving the humanitarian emergency faced by trapped residents on the Russian-controlled left bank of the Dnipro, was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump and announced by the White House on 23 October. It is due to end on the evening of 1 November.

Asked whether the UN had played any role in the evacuation of hundreds of people from Oleshky – close to the city of Kherson – spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said it had not, but that it was providing humanitarian aid to evacuees on the receiving end, as they reach the Ukrainian side of the frontline.

Meanwhile, two humanitarian vehicles came under drone attack on Thursday, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In the Zaporizhzhia region, a clearly marked civilian bus was struck, killing a woman and injuring passengers and the driver. 

The service, supported by the OCHA-managed Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, provides essential transport for a community of more than 1,600 people. In Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region, an armoured evacuation vehicle was hit, injuring two evacuees.

“Attacks against civilians, attacks against civilian infrastructure and attacks targeting humanitarians are unacceptable and must stop,” the spokesperson said.

Aid organizations are also responding to the latest wave of deadly attacks in the Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Poltava regions, providing hot meals, cash assistance, legal aid, emergency shelter materials and temporary repairs to damaged homes.

According to Ukrainian authorities, strikes in Chernihiv region killed two children and injured 37 people over the past day, while in Kremenchuk, in Poltava region, three people were killed and 28 injured.

Attacks on energy infrastructure have also caused further power outages, with 190,000 consumers in Dnipro region still without electricity on Friday morning, OCHA said, calling for the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure as colder weather sets in.

Responding to a question about Thursday’s deadly drone attack on the main railway station in Dnipro, Spokesperson Dujarric said the Secretary-General strongly condemns the Russian strike, in which civilians, including children, were killed. 

The death toll now stands at 15, according to media reports. 

“This is not an isolated case,” added Mr. Dujarric noting that it came on the heels of Russian attacks on cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. “All of these attacks are violations of international humanitarian law, and they must stop.”