Kherson-area truce holds for 30 hours

A ceasefire in Oleshky held for 30 hours on Wednesday, according to Russia's ombudsperson Yana Lantratova and Ukraine's human rights ombudsperson Dmytro Lubinets. Both said there had been no violations in the city since the truce began Tuesday.

The localized truce in the southern city is scheduled to run through Sunday. About 2,000 residents remain, and the operation aims to deliver food and medicine while evacuating residents who want to leave. If the truce holds through Sunday, it will be the first time since Russia's invasion of its neighbor more than 4 ½ years ago that both sides have observed a significant truce. Previous attempts to stop fighting have either failed to hold or quickly unraveled.

The White House said U.S. first lady Melania Trump brokered the humanitarian mission. Pope Leo XIV also spoke this month with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, urging them to allow humanitarian aid into Oleshky and safe evacuation of civilians, the Vatican said. Zelenskyy said he was grateful to Melania Trump for her role in halting fighting in and around Oleshky, where humanitarian corridors are being established. "We are grateful that they are organizing this possibility to evacuate people," Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine was ready to receive evacuees. Lantratova said, "Her personal involvement is of great importance to the entire process."

The development coincided with U.S.-led plans to bring Moscow and Kyiv officials back to the table next month for technical talks on ending the war, though neither side shows signs of backing down from key demands. Both sides are eager to win U.S. President Donald Trump's approval as he pushes for a peace settlement.

Fighting continued elsewhere. A Russian drone strike on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight wounded five people, including a four-year-old child, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. The jet-powered drone attack started a fire that set an apartment building, private house and industrial building alight. In Russia, the Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 531 Ukrainian drones from late Tuesday through early Wednesday. Officials said apartment buildings and industrial infrastructure in two regions were targeted, injuring five people.