Russia, Ukraine begin ceasefire in city of Oleshky as deadly strikes continue elsewhere - CBC

Anti-drone nets stretched over a street during a local ceasefire linked to efforts to evacuate residents of Oleshky, in Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) (Evgeniy Maloletka/The Associated Press)Social SharingRussia and Ukraine began a regional ceasefire to allow the start of a humanitarian effort in the Russian-occupied town of ‌Oleshky, both sides said Tuesday, but also engaged in strikes elsewhere, including the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

The ceasefire, which is expected to proceed through Sunday, should enable deliveries of aid, as well as evacuations from the front-line town in southern Ukraine that is grappling with acute shortages of food and medicine.

The head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's ruling faction in parliament, David Arakhamia, called it the "biggest de-escalation since 2022." Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of that year, ceasefires have been relegated to occasional holiday periods.

On Telegram, Russia's Defence Ministry said it stopped shelling in the direction of ​Kherson from 4 a.m. Moscow time, to prepare for the ⁠effort in Oleshky.

Oleshky lies on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, opposite the city of Kherson, which is held by Ukrainian forces. Russian troops seized Oleshky during the first days of their February 2022 invasion and have controlled it ever since.

Oleshky has suffered extensive war damage and was hit hard by flooding after the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in 2023. The United States has said only a few thousand people remain in Oleshky, from a prewar population of 24,000.

Residents and officials have reported severe shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies.

Kyiv residents said they hoped the Oleshky ceasefire would finally bring some relief to locals, but optimism was tinged with concerns that Russia would not abide by the terms of the agreement.

"I want to hope that things will indeed work out this way, that the agreement will actually be implemented, and that the Russian side will keep its word," Olha Haiduk, 59, told Reuters.

One resident who managed to flee Oleshky told Reuters many of those remaining there are sick or elderly, and that it would be difficult for them to relocate.

A still image taken from an undated drone video released Sept. 12 shows destroyed buildings in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. (34th Separate Marine Brigade Borysfen/Reuters)

Oleshky has suffered extensive war damage and was hit hard by flooding after the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in 2023. The United States has said only a few thousand people remain in Oleshky, from a prewar population of 24,000.

Residents and officials have reported severe shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies.

As the regional ceasefire proceeded, new strikes on Tuesday hit the Southern Bridge and subway infrastructure in Kyiv, forcing a suspension of traffic, city officials said, while a Reuters witness ⁠heard explosions.

Russia's ‌overnight attacks included 16 ballistic missiles and ​more than 280 ​drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, ​calling it a ⁠serious ⁠escalation ‌against Ukrainian logistics.

"Tragically, there have been casualties and hits in Kyiv, including ⁠on the South Bridge," he said on ‌X, referring to one of the main road bridges over the ​Dnipro River that ⁠bisects the Ukrainian capital.

Ukrainian rescuers clear fallen trees near a destroyed car on a road in Kyiv on Tuesday, following a Russian missile strike. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)

On ⁠the ⁠Telegram messaging app, the Russian Defence Ministry said ​it has hit transport infrastructure in Kyiv, a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region as well as industrial facilities ​and cargo vessels elsewhere it cited ⁠as being put to military use.

Russia has significantly stepped up its strikes on logistics in and around Kyiv in recent months, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, and the city's defence council discussed a "project to build combined water crossings over the River Dnipro and the access roads leading to them."

Klitschko did not give further details.

In Russia, a drone attack killed one person in the western city of Bryansk near the border with Ukraine, authorities said.

Another person was killed and 30 injured as a drone hit a bus in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, local officials said.

Reuters could not immediately independently verify the reports. Russia and ⁠Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.

White House envoys have talked to both sides in recent days to try and find a solution as the U.S. looks to mediate a peace deal to end the war, Europe's deadliest conflict since the Second World War. But questions have emerged as to American loyalties in the wake of a diesel deal the U.S. struck with Russia, and antagonistic statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Zelenskyy.

On Friday, Zelenskyy said peace negotiators from ​Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to meet at a technical level in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi to continue ⁠the talks.

What can Canadian defence firms learn from Ukraine's drone expertise?

Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere on Tuesday held a phone ‌call with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine, Stubb's office said in a statement.

"The discussion was ​frank and substantive. We are neighbouring countries ⁠to Russia. ⁠The outcome of ‌this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions," Stubb ⁠said in a statement.

Western European leaders ​have mostly shunned contact with Putin ​since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine. Russia has frequently accused European governments of stoking the war by arming Ukraine and refusing ‌to talk to Moscow.

An aide for Zelenskyy confirmed he was briefed by the Finnish and Norwegian leaders after their call with Putin.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Interfax news agency that the two Nordic leaders offered nothing new ⁠on the Ukraine ⁠conflict, adding ⁠that ​European countries were simply ​seeking ⁠a role in the negotiation process.