A Ukrainian official has denied the military’s accusation that Russian forces tried to solidify their positions in contravention of the short-term Oleshky ceasefire that ended on Sunday.
First lady Melania Trump brokered the localized ceasefire, which called for the cessation of hostilities for six days to allow for the hundreds of people who have been trapped under Russian occupation near the front lines to evacuate and for the uninterrupted distribution of aid.
It allowed for a couple hundred people to evacuate from the front-line occupied city of Oleshky who had previously been unable to safely leave due to the constant attacks in the area.
“Under the ceasefire introduced for the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine ensured that the ceasefire was observed and acted exclusively within the framework of the agreements reached,” the Ukrainian military said. “During the ceasefire, the rotation of Russian units, the fortification of positions, the expansion of anti-drone measures along roads and increased logistics activity, including the delivery of ammunition, were recorded.”
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament commissioner for human rights, oversaw the evacuations for Ukraine, and he appeared to contradict the military’s assessment as well as reporting from Sky News, saying that Russian military equipment was marked with a “red cross” and was used for demining in preparation for the evacuations.
Residents of Oleshky react after being evacuated from their Russian-occupied hometown as they cross the Belarus-Ukraine border in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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Residents of Oleshky react after being evacuated from their Russian-occupied hometown as they cross the Belarus-Ukraine border in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Oleshky-evacuations.jpg?w=700" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Oleshky-evacuations.jpg" alt="Residents of Oleshky react after being evacuated." class="wp-image-4788456" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Oleshky-evacuations.jpg 700w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Oleshky-evacuations.jpg?resize=300,200 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px">
Residents of Oleshky react after being evacuated from their Russian-occupied hometown as they cross the Belarus-Ukraine border in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
“On the video, Russian military equipment marked with crosses is clearly visible. This equipment was used specifically for demining and immediately returned after the de-mining work was completed,” Lubinets said.
Prior to the war, roughly 24,000 people lived in Oleshky, while only an estimated 1,700-2,000 residents remained there before the evacuations.
The question of whether both sides abided by the terms of the ceasefire is hard to figure out because the text of the agreement was not released in full.
“It is extremely difficult and fraught to issue and declare and then enforce a ceasefire because all of these technical details are extremely important and matter a lot and are very difficult to actually hammer out and implement and execute,” George Barros, an expert with the Institute for the Study of War, told the Washington Examiner.
“The other thing that is completely expected, and we have reasonably happened, were relocations of forces, some troop replenishment, and some rotations. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians accused each other of doing build-ups and rotations and preparation for renewed fighting during the course of the ceasefire. Neither side has presented any kind of concrete evidence, and ISW has not observed any dispositive concrete evidence for either accusation,” he added.
Barros also noted that Russian forces restarted shelling in the Oleshky area on Monday following the conclusion of the temporary ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview on Fox News that aired over the weekend that it would be “very helpful” if Melania Trump were able to negotiate additional localized ceasefires, though Barros said the geography of Ukraine would make it difficult.
“That said, there is speculation that that might be the sort of diplomatic etiquette script that he would follow so as not to jeopardize future ceasefires that could again rescue other Ukrainians under occupation. So I think outside of those statements, we are looking to see whether the ceasefire did allow Russia to forward stage,” Kristina Hook, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, told the Washington Examiner.
A spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, indicated on Monday that there would be no further localized ceasefires, at least not imminently.
“As for continuing this practice, each specific case is unique. There are no similar plans at this time, nor are there any similar initiatives,” he said.
HUNDREDS EVACUATE UKRAINIAN CITY OF OLESHKY AS PART OF MELANIA TRUMP-BROKERED CEASEFIRE
As the ceasefire in Oleshky played out, both Russia and Ukraine carried out attacks on one another elsewhere. Zelensky said at least 18 people were killed in strikes on the Komyshuvakha settlement in the Zaporizhzhia region that hit a school where people were sheltering.
“The Russians could not have been unaware that every week, local residents who had remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid at that very location,” Zelensky said. “And this is further proof that Russia wants no de-escalation and no real justice. After the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, there was a moment when the next steps could have shown that progress toward peace was possible. With these killings, Russia is sending an entirely opposite signal: Russia is counting on more killings.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
