Russian Forces Accused of Exploiting Ceasefire in Oleshky
Russian troops used a six-day truce in occupied Oleshky to cart away dead civilians, steal food from hungry residents, and reinforce military positions, according to Ukrainian commanders. Nearly 800 people were evacuated under the ceasefire, which the White House credits United States First Lady Melania Trump with brokering.
Speaking to The Sun, a Ukrainian commander tasked with defending nearby Kherson said that nobody expected Russian forces to respect the spirit of the ceasefire. The commander added that the pause served simply as a chance for Russian forces to take advantage of the misery they caused civilians.
Morgue Raids and Cover-Up Suspicions
Drones filmed Russian soldiers carrying bodies out of the town hospital morgue in body bags as the evacuation convoy arrived in wartorn Oleshky. These slaughtered civilians were loaded onto trucks and driven away to their final resting place.
Kateryna Rashevska, lead on international justice at Ukraine Regional Centre for Human Rights, told The Sun that the secretive extraction mission could be a Kremlin cover-up to hide the actual casualty count. Kherson journalist Oleh Baturin believes at least 47 slain people were transferred from the hospital basement to Russian trucks, while Oleshky military administration head Tetiana Hasanenko puts the number of bodies stored in the basement at around 100.
Volunteer Kseniia Arkhipova believes the Kremlin wants the bodies examined in Henichesk to produce reports blaming the Ukrainian army for the deaths. Ukraine human rights chief Dmytro Lubinets stated that bodies of soldiers and civilians were removed under an agreed repatriation, though there is no sign independent examinations will determine how they died.
Stolen Aid and Military Regrouping
Ukrainian military intelligence reports that a black vehicle delivered supplies to Russian soldiers as soon as the evacuation convoy departed. Drone footage showed Russian soldiers hauling away white boxes and sacks of rations intended for local residents.
nUkraine General Staff stated that Russian forces used the pause to rotate troops, strengthen positions, string anti-drone netting over supply roads, and stockpile ammunition. Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Pulinets, commander of the 34th Marine Brigade, noted that Russian soldiers entered the city under the cover of a humanitarian mission to seize basements and half-ruined buildings.
Kateryna concluded that the actions demonstrate Russia is prepared to use the lives of Ukrainians under its control as bargaining chips rather than showing readiness for peace. Russia human rights chief Yana Lantratova stated that fewer than 750 people remain in Oleshky, with monthly aid deliveries agreed through Melania Trump mediating.
