The humanitarian convoy agreed between Moscow and Kiev, with the mediation of the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, to assist the population of the city of Oleshki, in southeastern Ukraine, is rushing through its final preparations after demining work in the area of the Kherson region, under occupation by Russian forces, was completed.
"The preparations for the humanitarian mission to Oleshky have reached their final phase," the humanitarian chief of the Ukrainian Parliament, Dimitro Lubinets, has reported, within the framework of a ceasefire in force until next Sunday.
The Ukrainian official has also announced the imminent opening of a humanitarian corridor. "It is expected to reach the central hospital, where all necessary assistance will be provided to civilians," he has added.
The commissioner of the Rada for Human Rights has pointed out that he will personally supervise on the ground the progress of the convoy, in an operation coordinated with his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova.
Oleshki has become one of the main symbols of the destruction and famine caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the development of the armed conflict. Tens of thousands of inhabitants are holding out there practically without food, without electricity supply, and without access to basic medication.
According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, food shipments have not been distributed in the city since May 26. For his part, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, has warned that the Russians "keep around 2,000 people as hostages, nearly 50 of whom are children, forced to survive without food, electricity or water".