Russian forces are attempting to discredit Ukraine's defence forces during a humanitarian ceasefire in occupied Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, according to Maksym Kravchuk, spokesperson for Ukraine's Pivden, or South, Group of Forces. Speaking to Ukrainska Pravda, he said Ukrainian units were complying with the agreement covering the area of the humanitarian mission.
Kravchuk accused the Russian military of using the pause in fighting to carry out activities serving military purposes. He said Russian forces had rotated units, reinforced their positions and installed protection against drones along roads. They had also strengthened logistics and brought in ammunition during the ceasefire, according to his account.
The spokesperson rejected Russian claims that Ukrainian forces were breaching the agreement. He said units from the Pivden Group of Forces were strictly observing the ceasefire and had recorded Russian provocations. His account described efforts by Russian troops both to improve their military positions and to portray Ukrainian forces as responsible for violations.
Ukrainian units had repeatedly detected Russian reconnaissance drones during the pause, Kravchuk said. They had also documented Russian troops dropping munitions from drones. He described those actions as an attempt to undermine the reputation of Ukrainian forces by making them appear to be violating the ceasefire agreement.
The Pivden Group of Forces said the agreement had a strictly humanitarian purpose: allowing assistance to reach civilians and enabling their evacuation to Ukrainian-controlled territory. Kravchuk said its units continued to monitor the situation and track Russian actions in order to prevent potential threats and provocations in the area.
Ukraine's Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, announced that the ceasefire around Oleshky began at 03:00 Kyiv time on 27 October. Russia's Defence Ministry also confirmed its introduction. The agreed pause was scheduled to remain in place until 22:59 on 1 November.
The agreement followed an announcement by the White House on 23 October that Melania Trump had secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in temporarily occupied Oleshky. The town is experiencing a humanitarian disaster, providing the backdrop to the mission to assist and evacuate civilians.
On 31 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the humanitarian operation in Russian-occupied Oleshky had been completed successfully. He said all Ukrainian citizens evacuated through the operation had crossed the border into Ukraine in Chernihiv Oblast.
