Kyiv and Moscow wake up new humanitarian missions in Oleskhy

A Russia and Ukraine have agreed to periodically coordinate new humanitarian missions in the occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region of Ukraine, Russian Justice Ombudsman Yana Lantratova said today.

“The mission is over. But unfortunately the living conditions in Oleshky remain extremely difficult. We agreed to carry out humanitarian missions regularly, it’s a very important step,” said the Russian message network provider at MAX.

She said she would continue to work with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Lubinets.

“ We will make every effort to support the inhabitants of the city who decided to stay in it,” he said.

Yana Lantratova said that “behind the humanitarian mission” carried out in the last few days in Oleshky “there are months of negotiations and an immense joint work to save these people”.

Russia concluded on Friday the humanitarian mission in Oleshky, which “went without any incidents,” Lantratova reported from Armiansk, a city on the annexed Crimean peninsula.

He stressed that in the operation, in which the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, played a key role, both parties demonstrated “great organization”.

Ukrainian authorities estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 residents of Oleshky did not receive regular supplies of food and medicine due to hostilities in Kherson, whose northern third is still under control of the Ukrainian army.

While Kyiv accused Moscow was responsible for the situation by blocking access to the city, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Ukrainians for what he called a “humanitarian disaster”.

The humanitarian mission, which made it possible to distribute food aid and medicines and to remove civilians, was accompanied by a local ceasefire, which began early on Tuesday and should continue until Sunday night.

The approximately 2,000 residents who still remained in Oleshky were given the option to proceed to territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia, or to remain in the city.

The humanitarian convoy, consisting of 25 buses and nine ambulances, in addition to trucks, was able to safely withdraw more than 750 people, although data on the number of civilians removed were not advanced.