Oleshky routes cleared as humanitarian convoy readied

Mine clearance on the designated routes for a humanitarian mission to Oleshky was declared complete on October 29, and the convoy was reported ready to depart under a localized ceasefire. The planned operation is intended to bring aid to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town and provide a route out for residents who want to leave. Russian human-rights commissioner Yana Lantratova and her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets, issued near-identical statements saying the routes had been cleared and the convoy was ready. The statements said it would travel to the district hospital, with aid distribution to follow and departures arranged for residents wishing to leave. Lubinets said the convoy was expected to reach Oleshky’s central hospital. He gave a timetable under which residents could leave until 2 p.m. local time, while aid distribution was scheduled to begin after 2:30 p.m. Those were planned steps; the statements did not confirm that aid had been delivered or residents had departed. Lantratova said she was traveling to Oleshky with four Newsmax journalists. Lubinets was also traveling toward the area. He said the negotiations had been difficult and lengthy and described the...