A local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine around the occupied city of Oreshki, which first lady Melania Trump helped broker, has gone into effect, officials from both sides announced on Tuesday.
Dmytro Rubinets, head of the human rights committee in Ukraine’s parliament, told X that the ceasefire came into effect at 3 a.m. Kiev time on Tuesday.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Telegram that it had ceased shelling of Oreshkii as of Tuesday.
The suspension of fighting is aimed at allowing the evacuation of elderly residents and the influx of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the frontline cities, which Russia has occupied since the first days of a full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian authorities said about 1,700 people remained in Oreshki.
Rubinets said the ceasefire was “part of a humanitarian mission being carried out in cooperation with Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantrava, with the mediation and coordination of US First Lady Melania Trump.”
The first lady announced on Tuesday that the ceasefire zone had expanded “beyond Oreshki and into the Kherson region to provide safe passage for humanitarian convoys.” He said the expansion in the region had been “confirmed” by a senior Russian official, General Valery Vasilyevich (Gerasimov), and had come into effect two days earlier than previously announced to “protect the safety of civilians and facilitate the provision of vital humanitarian aid.”
The Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, headed by Rubinets, later confirmed that a ceasefire was in effect across the Kherson region.
“We have been working on resolving the humanitarian crisis in Oreshki since late February 2026,” Rubinets told Ukraine’s TV channel 1+1. “The situation began to move in earnest in September, thanks to Melania Trump. The US side is monitoring how each party is fulfilling its commitments.”
“As soon as the roads are ready and the cargo is delivered, representatives of the three countries will arrive on the spot. Anyone who wants to go to Ukraine will be able to do so,” he added.
The cease-fire is expected to last until November 1, said David Alahamia, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and a key figure in peace negotiations.
Residents of Kherson, across the Dnipro River from Oreshki, are Ukraine’s largest city on the front lines and whose unique tactical position has withstood brutal attacks on civilians and infrastructure, are relieved.
But they know this reprieve won’t last long.
“People are happy, but everyone is afraid that after this ceasefire there will be incredible violence,” Kherson resident Zhanna Yakovleva told CNN on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, that is the reality.”
Two civilians have been killed in the Kherson region since October 20, and 38 others, including six children, have been injured.
Many like Yakovleva are living with friends and relatives because their homes have been damaged or destroyed.
Yakovleva said people are taking to the streets to check on their homes and apartments during the temporary calm, but Russia’s persistent drone attacks have prevented them from doing so.
Yakovleva said Kherson, the first major city to come under Russian occupation in 2022 and liberated by Ukraine later that year, was quiet for the first time since the occupation ended.
Prime Minister Alakamoa said in a Telegram post that this was “the widest ceasefire to date along the largest sector of the front in southern Ukraine.”
“This is the largest de-escalation effort since 2022,” he added.
By late Tuesday afternoon local time, Rubinets confirmed that both Ukraine and Russia were “adhering” to the ceasefire in the designated areas.
Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Rantratova also said there had been no recorded violations of the ceasefire by either side, adding: “It is very important that the agreement continues to be honored.”
Fighting continued elsewhere.
Ukraine’s emergency services said the attack on Kiev killed a 46-year-old woman, injured more than a dozen people and damaged a bridge.
The Russian military said it carried out “large-scale attacks” targeting military facilities in Ukraine, a logistics center in Kharkiv and transport infrastructure in Kiev. It also announced that it had intercepted and destroyed 222 Ukrainian drones over Ukrainian territory.
The first lady announced Friday that she worked with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders to secure a local ceasefire as an “exclusive facilitator.”
“The people of Oreshky live with limited power, mined roads, and endure regular military attacks,” President Melania Trump said in a statement Friday.
“Non-military and civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oreshki residents in their homes and determine the level of support needed,” it added.
“Residents who wish to evacuate will be provided with coordinated assistance and transportation to their desired destination. Some may want to go to Russia, others to Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Kiev had been working on negotiating the deal “for some time.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Trump’s “huge contribution.”
President Donald Trump praised his wife’s efforts Friday, saying, “They reached out to both sides, and both sides wanted it.” He said she remains focused on helping children affected by war.
According to the Vatican, Pope Leo also discussed the humanitarian crisis in Oreshki during a telephone conversation with President Putin on October 16, when he was in the hospital recovering from surgery for lung cancer.
The first lady’s office announced last week that it became aware of Oreshky’s situation during a private discussion at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.
This story has been updated with additional information.
