A truce has begun in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, where residents have been trapped without food, water and electricity.
Ukrainian officials and Russia’s defence ministry say the limited ceasefire is being respected. The truce, which the White House said was secured by US First Lady Melania Trump, is meant to allow aid deliveries and a civilian evacuation on Friday.
Oleshky, along the front line in the Kherson region, is trapped on one side by the Dnipro River, which separates it from Ukrainian positions, and on the other by Russian forces.
Many residents have resorted to cooking garden weeds to survive, telling the BBC they are suffering extreme hunger and want to leave.
There are concerns that truce will not hold, with one resident saying: “I don’t believe in Russia’s humanity.”
Up to 6,000 people including 200 children remain in Oleshky and its surrounding areas, Kyiv believes, with only 1,700 still living in the city itself.
Before the war it was home to 24,000 people, but it was seized by Russia during the first days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Conditions have become so desperate that not only is getting supplies into the city extremely difficult, but escape is highly dangerous because the routes out of Oleshky have been mined and subject to drone attack.
No shops are open, and the city has had no electricity, gas or water for three years.
