Russia says it will open a humanitarian corridor to besieged Oleshky
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USARussia says it will open a humanitarian corridor to the occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, where residents have been eating weeds and pickles to survive while trapped by minefields, shelling and drones, NPR reported on Monday, October 26.
Oleshky sits on the Russian-occupied left bank of the Dnipro River, across from Ukrainian-held Kherson, about nine kilometres away. Russian forces seized it in the opening days of the February 2022 invasion. U.S. officials estimate that 1,700 to 2,000 residents remain, many of them older adults, along with roughly 50 children, from a pre-war population of about 24,000.
The humanitarian situation has deteriorated as fighting, damaged infrastructure and mined roads have restricted movement. An Associated Press investigation reported that residents lacked electricity and running water, the hospital was short of medicine and basic supplies, and regular food deliveries by road had stopped in May. Both governments have blamed the other for the crisis.
The corridor pledge follows a White House announcement on October 23 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to allow aid into Oleshky and prepare an evacuation route for civilians, an arrangement the White House said was due to begin October 29 and credited First Lady Melania Trump with brokering. “Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination,” she said in a statement.
The start date has been described differently in different announcements: the White House put it at October 29, while Ukrainian and Russian military authorities were later reported as planning a synchronized pause on October 27. As of October 26, no verified outcome had established that road clearance, a humanitarian convoy or an organized civilian evacuation had actually begun — the test, for the town's remaining residents, is whether aid and voluntary evacuation follow the announcements.
Under the arrangement as described, aid teams are expected to deliver food, medicine and clean water, assess residents' needs and help those who want to evacuate. Roads will have to be cleared or made safe before vehicles can move reliably, and Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, has told Reuters that demining, aid deliveries and civilian evacuations would be part of the operation.
Sources: NPR (Oct 26, 2026); White House statement via Bloomberg / The Hindu BusinessLine (Oct 24, 2026); Associated Press investigation on Oleshky conditions.
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