Europe
UN: two aid vehicles hit by drones in Ukraine as Fletcher urges Oleshky ceasefire to open the way for relief
The UN says a civilian bus in Zaporizhzhia and an evacuation vehicle in Sloviansk were hit by drones, while Tom Fletcher asks that the Oleshky truce, due to end on 1 November, let aid in.
The United Nations said on Friday that two humanitarian vehicles in Ukraine were hit by drones on Thursday, as the UN’s top relief official called on both sides to make the local ceasefire in Oleshky a way to let aid in and civilians leave safely. According to UN News, the truce is due to end on the evening of 1 November.
Fletcher: let the truce open the way for aid
Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in a social media post, relayed by the Secretary-General’s spokesperson, that each day the ceasefire holds means hope for civilians in the city, and that people who wish to leave must be able to do so safely and voluntarily. He asked that it “pave the way for vital aid to get in, and more humanitarian access on both sides of the frontline.”
The arrangement covers Oleshky, on the Russian-controlled left bank of the Dnipro near Kherson, where residents have been trapped. It was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump and announced by the White House on 23 October, as White House says Russia and Ukraine agreed a localized ceasefire in Oleshky from 29 October, brokered by Melania Trump reported at the time. Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the UN played no role in the evacuation of hundreds of people from the city, but is giving aid to evacuees as they reach the Ukrainian side of the front line.
Aid vehicles struck on Thursday
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that in the Zaporizhzhia region a clearly marked civilian bus was struck by a drone, killing a woman and injuring passengers and the driver. The service is supported by the OCHA-managed Ukraine Humanitarian Fund and carries a community of more than 1,600 people. In Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region, an armoured evacuation vehicle was hit, injuring two evacuees. The UN statement did not say who launched the drones.
“Attacks against civilians, attacks against civilian infrastructure and attacks targeting humanitarians are unacceptable and must stop,” the spokesperson said.
Power cuts as winter nears
OCHA also said that 190,000 consumers in the Dnipro region were still without electricity on Friday morning after attacks on energy infrastructure, and called for the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure as colder weather sets in.
What happens next
The ceasefire is scheduled to expire on 1 November. Our earlier report, Oleshky ceasefire takes effect on 27 October, two days ahead of schedule, as Ukraine says the humanitarian mission has begun, set out how the truce began. The UN statement does not say whether an extension is being discussed.
