The unprecedented humanitarian operation in Oleshky has ended, a Russian representative announced.

Unprecedented humanitarian operation in Oleshky has concluded, announces Russian representative Humanitarian evacuations from Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine under Russian occupation that has faced shortages for several weeks and where a truce is in effect until Sunday, have ended, the Russian human rights commissioner announced Friday, AFP reports via News.ro. "We are concluding our humanitarian mission in Oleshky," stated Yana Lantartova in a video broadcast on Telegram from the town of Armiansk in annexed Crimea. According to her, the convoy transporting the evacuated persons consisted of 25 buses and nine ambulances and, upon arriving in Armiansk, was split between those who wished to return to Ukrainian-controlled territory and those who wished to go to Russia. Residents of the Russian-controlled city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine began evacuation on Friday as part of a joint humanitarian aid operation organized by both parties, the first of its kind in four years and eight months of war. Numerous questions have been raised regarding the humanitarian operation and its broader significance within an agreement negotiated with the participation of US First Lady Melania Trump, with the additional involvement of Pope Leo. What Russia and Ukraine want from this operation In addition to the safe evacuation of many Oleshky residents, Moscow and Kyiv are attempting to use the operation to demonstrate to US President Donald Trump that they are taking his efforts to secure a global peace agreement seriously, Reuters writes. However, the two parties remain far apart regarding potential conditions for ending the conflict in Ukraine, and the prospect of an immediate conclusion seems nonexistent. Both sides want to keep Trump involved in the peace process, even if it progresses slowly, because even if Trump's Republican Party records poor results in the midterm elections, he will remain president for another two years and will be able to influence what happens in Ukraine. Moscow hopes that Trump will be able to exert pressure on Kyiv to accept an agreement that meets many of its conditions, such as full Russian control over the Donbas region of Ukraine and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO. Kyiv wants to ensure that intelligence sharing with US secret services continues, along with full access to Elon Musk's battlefield communication system, Starshield, and that US military equipment purchased by Europe, including Patriot interceptor missiles, continues to be supplied. Moscow and Kyiv, both eager to win over the US president, have praised Melania Trump's role in achieving the operation. Remaining questions The International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva stated Friday that its teams were not requested to provide support, but are ready to help within its mandate if asked to do so. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stated that the UN received no request for help, but officials are monitoring the situation closely. He said the question of why the UN was not invited to observe the situation is a matter for Ukraine, as Oleshky is located on territory internationally recognized as Ukrainian. "What we know is that we have advocated and will continue to advocate for compliance with all international norms, laws, and practices during this evacuation," Laerke said. The fact that human rights commissioners from Ukraine and Russia were involved inspired some confidence, he added. Statements from the Kremlin suggest that the operation may be a one-off—at least for now. When asked if the operation means that Russia and Ukraine could find other areas to cooperate, Peskov said it is a specific and isolated case that, for now, has no broader implications for the peace process. The truce, which was extended to the entire Kherson region, expires Sunday. No decrease in fighting has been recorded in the other three Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have annexed. After holding discussions with American negotiators, Putin agreed this month to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine next month. However, Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov, dissatisfied with Ukraine's attempts to launch drone attacks on Moscow, suggested a possible reassessment of the situation if the attacks continue, while Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries after a break. Additionally, there has been no cessation of Russian airstrikes on infrastructure targets across Ukraine.