Ukraine and Russia pause fighting to deliver aid to occupied town

One person was killed and ten others injured in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv Monday night, just before a new localized ceasefire took effect in southern Ukraine on Tuesday. The pause in hostilities is designed to allow aid to reach Oleshky, a town under Russian occupation that has faced severe shortages of food and medicine.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced via Telegram that shelling toward Kherson stopped at 4 a.m. Moscow time, or 0100 GMT. The ministry stated the halt was necessary to prepare for the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, which is located on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River directly opposite the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's parliament commissioner for human rights and head of the negotiating team, verified the start time in a Facebook post. "As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honoring its commitments," he wrote. Both governments confirmed the arrangement on Tuesday.

Oleshky has been under Russian control since troops seized it during the initial invasion in February 2022. The White House stated last week that US first lady Melania Trump helped secure the ceasefire. The truce aims to enable the delivery of supplies and the evacuation of residents from the frontline area.

The localized pause occurs while combat continues in other parts of the country. The Monday attack on Kyiv killed at least one person and injured ten, including students in a dormitory. Strikes also caused casualties in Kharkiv and Pavlohrad. A Reuters witness reported new explosions in Kyiv on Tuesday morning.