Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky during call with Putin
The pope called for a local ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and the safe evacuation of civilians from the front-line city, where around 2,000 residents remain trapped amid severe shortages of food and medicine.
Pope Leo, currently recovering from lung cancer surgery in Rome, called Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 16 to discuss the dire situation in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky. The city, located in Kherson Oblast, is under Russian occupation and has seen a worsening humanitarian crisis. Pope Leo urged for a local ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the safe evacuation of the city's remaining residents.
Despite Russia's refusal to cooperate with evacuation efforts, Putin blamed Ukraine for the crisis in Oleshky. The pope's call came after Ukraine had prepared an evacuation mission, involving the International Committee of the Red Cross, while Ukrainian forces prepared to observe a ceasefire. However, Russia had not confirmed its willingness to proceed.
The Ukrainian Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, highlighted that Russia had not given its consent for the evacuation mission.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
