Aleshki, 1 November. The humanitarian mission of the Russian and Ukrainian ombudsmen in the town of Aleshki (Oleshky in Ukrainian), Kherson Region, has ended and, as Russia’s human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said, “there was not a single incident”.
The ceasefire that began on 27 October will expire late in the evening of 1 November.
Food, medicines and fuel for generators were delivered to the town, and transport was organised for those who wanted to leave, to Russia and to Ukraine, BFM.ru writes. Residents who decided to stay continued to receive aid after the convoy left, Lantratova said. A mobile multifunctional service centre was set up in Simferopol for residents of Aleshki, and ombudsmen in Russian regions will help the evacuees.
The mission began on 30 October: Lantratova and Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets set off for Aleshki, with the Ukrainian delegation travelling via Gomel in Belarus and Anapa and then overland, Meduza reported. The parties halted fighting around the town from 27 October through 1 November inclusive, with US First Lady Melania Trump mediating. Lubinets became the first Ukrainian official of that rank to visit territory controlled by Russia.
Lantratova said she had agreed with Lubinets to continue work on regular humanitarian operations: in her words, “Aleshki must become the first step”. Lubinets said that together with Lantratova they had done everything so that this experience would be extended to other settlements, BFM.ru notes. There is as yet no agreement on the ombudsmen visiting imprisoned Ukrainians and Russians, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Censor.net reports.
The Kremlin said that the temporary ceasefire in Aleshki is so far hard to project onto the whole settlement process, BFM.ru noted. Pope Leo XIV expressed hope that the mission would lead to new peace initiatives, and Melania Trump believes that it will help a settlement.
What it means: A Ukrainian official of that rank has for the first time been on territory under Russian control, and the joint mission passed without incident. Moscow, however, calls it a separate case, not a turning point in the negotiations.
What we know now: The mission is over, and the ceasefire holds until 22:59 Moscow time on 1 November. The ombudsmen agreed to continue regular humanitarian operations; the places and dates of the next missions are not named. It is not reported how many people left Aleshki and how many remained.
Background: Lantratova took the post of human rights commissioner in Russia this year, succeeding Moskalkova, while Lubinets has been Ukraine’s ombudsman since 2022, BFM.ru recalls.
