The Ukrainian authorities reiterated this Monday that Russia complied with the ceasefire agreed in the city of Oleshki for humanitarian purposes, underscoring that the military vehicles observed in motion during the pause in the fighting were linked to demining work.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada, Dimitro Lubinets, explained at a press conference that the initiative, which allowed the sending of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians from this Russian-controlled locality in the Kherson region, was carried out with the ceasefire respected by both sides, something verified through a mutual monitoring mechanism.
Regarding the videos circulated on social networks in which the movement of military equipment can be seen, Lubinets recalled that the "seizure and transfer of military equipment" was "prohibited" during the operation, but insisted that those Russian movements responded to essential demining tasks to carry out the humanitarian mission.
"The video clearly shows a Russian military team marked with red crosses. This equipment was used for demining under the explicit control of the Ukrainian side. Once the demining was completed, the military equipment returned to its original place," he noted when referring to the images circulating on social networks.
Lubinets described as "understandable" that the recordings have caused concern, since, if one does not know the wording of the agreement and "some details may be unknown," "different conclusions can be drawn".
The Kyiv representative also highlighted that he maintained "constant" communications with his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, to coordinate the operation on the ground and ensure the maintenance of the truce.
As he detailed, cooperation was complete and both the Russian and Ukrainian sides monitored what was happening through a system of reciprocal surveillance. "When the Russian side declared that it had not committed any violation, it clearly understood that the Ukrainian side was monitoring the situation and that, if violations were detected, it could immediately provide the relevant evidence. A similar mechanism operated in the opposite direction," he added.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights crossed the front line after the humanitarian operation, mediated by the United States, which contemplated the negotiation of a ceasefire, the sending of supplies and the evacuation of civilians trapped in Oleshki, was completed without incident.
The city had not received emergency aid since May 26, and the governor of Jersón, Oleksandr Prokudin, had previously denounced that the Russian forces were holding "about 2,000 people hostage, of whom almost 50 are children, forced to survive without food, electricity, or water".