Ukraine Says Russia Used the Oleshky Ceasefire to Strengthen Its Positions; the Kremlin Calls Regrouping Normal Practice

Ukraine's General Staff said on Monday that Russian forces had used a humanitarian ceasefire last week in the Russian-held southern town of Oleshky to strengthen their military positions, Reuters reported in dispatches read in full by this desk. The six-day ceasefire — brokered through U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and with the involvement of Pope Leo — was meant to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations from the frontline town; in total, nearly 800 people were evacuated, Melania Trump said on X.

Ukraine's General Staff said it had recorded rotations of Russian units, fortification of positions, expansion of anti-drone measures along roads, and increased logistics activity, including deliveries of ammunition. '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 General Staff said in a statement on X. 'The enemy, by contrast, used the humanitarian pause to improve its positions.' Ukraine's 34th Separate Marine Brigade, in a video address on Facebook, said there were reasons to expect an intensification of hostilities.

The Kremlin responded on Monday that it assumed the Ukrainian army had also used the local ceasefire to regroup, something spokesman Dmitry Peskov called normal practice, while saying he had no specific information on whether Russian forces had done the same, Reuters reported. 'Such questions are best directed to our Ministry of Defence,' Peskov told reporters. He also said no similar local ceasefires modelled on Oleshky were planned for now.

The ceasefire, which took effect on October 27, expired at 2100 GMT on Sunday; it was the longest local pause in fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Reuters reported. On Monday there was a drone strike in the centre of Kherson city, opposite Oleshky across the Dnipro River, with no casualties reported, the head of the Kherson City Military Administration said. The governor of Kherson region said Russian forces had shelled and attacked with drones and aircraft 16 settlements in Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region in the 24 hours to 0400 GMT on Monday. This is a major international story carried under the network's national-news door; no Newark angle is claimed.