Aid mission set to enter Oleshky as a localized Russia-Ukraine truce holds for a third day

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Humanitarian aid is poised to roll into the stricken city of Oleshky on Friday, a Ukrainian official said, as a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine stretched into a third day and military units cleared away landmines.

Moscow and Kyiv have observed the truce in and around the devastated southern Ukrainian city since Tuesday, despite remaining locked in war since Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor more than 4 ½ years ago. Previous efforts to secure ceasefires either never worked out or the truces quickly fell apart.

But elsewhere, a jet-powered Russian drone hit two passenger trains stopped at a station in Dnipro in central Ukraine, killing at least 14 people and injuring 14 others, including a 40-year-old man whose legs were amputated, officials said.

Also, a Russian cruise missile killed two 15-year-old girls in the northern city of Chernihiv, and three more civilians died when a Russian drone hit an apartment block in the central Ukraine city of Kremenchuk, authorities said. In all, 56 people were injured in the strikes, including 10 children.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said air defenses downed 1,214 Ukrainian drones overnight in one of the largest drone attacks launched by Kyiv. Around half of the drones were heading to the Russian capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

The planned six-day ceasefire around Russian-occupied Oleshky has brought a rare and welcome stillness for civilians in the nearby city of Kherson, which is held by Ukraine and has also been wracked by the war.

Both sides thanked U.S. first lady Melania Trump for what the White House said was her role in helping broker the temporary ceasefire so that food and medical supplies can reach some desperate 2,000 people trapped in Oleshky. Pope Leo XIV also pressed for a truce.

“The ceasefire has been in place for 54 hours now,” Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Thursday, adding that aid deliveries were due to begin the following day. “The parties are fully adhering to the agreements, and no violations of the ceasefire have been reported.”

His Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, confirmed the truce was holding and that Russian engineers are working on demining Oleshky roads.

“Both sides are fully honoring their commitments, and no violations have been recorded,” she said. “This allows military personnel to continue clearing roads of mines and to prepare a safe passage for the humanitarian convoy.”

Local people will also be able to evacuate, either into Russia or Ukraine, officials say. The mechanics of how that might work were unclear.

Lantratova said she and her team were on their way to Oleshky for the aid delivery, while Lubinets arrived in Belarus and will head to the city from there, as part of an operation that Lantratova said was five months in the making.

In the city of Kherson, growing numbers of people were out on the streets as the truce held.

Nataliia Myronenko, 42, had a steady stream of customers at her coffee kiosk since early Thursday.

“Now, during the quiet, we have people at lunchtime and in the evening, which we didn’t have under the attacks,” she said. “For a while, people would race down this street because they were afraid to stop.”

The pause has brought a sense of relief, she said. “It’s a breath of freedom, when you don’t look at the sky. You keep looking at your feet because of the mines, but you’re not afraid of dying. It’s so great,” she said.

“It’s such a privilege and a joy, but we understand it will end soon.”

Moscow and Kyiv are keen to curry favor with Washington ahead of possible three-way talks next month between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.

American military support is vital for Ukraine, but U.S. President Donald Trump has recently indicated that he is disengaging with Kyiv as he waived sanctions on Russia and publicly chided Zelenskyy.

Tankers carrying Russian diesel are currently sailing to the United States, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to the U.S. for a G20 ministerial meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, starting Friday, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

European leaders, on the other hand, have been trying to diplomatically isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion and what they call a campaign of sabotage across the continent.

Ukraine earlier this month reported sudden and unexpected limits on Starshield, the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX that is the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communications.

Putin said that Russia has been in contact with the American tech titan to coordinate their orbiting activities because it is building its own equivalent of Starlink.

“Elon Musk is a genius. Truly, a real genius,” Putin said late Wednesday.

“We and our American partners value this relationship, and despite all the political issues, we continue to work closely together,” he added.

AP journalists Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kherson, Ukraine and Susie Blann and Derek Gatopoulos in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed to this report.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers evacuate a wounded civilian after a Russian drone attack on a railway platform in Dnipro, Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, cars are on fire following a Russian air attack in Chernyhiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

A woman walks in front of a residential building damaged in a Russian attack during a local ceasefire related to a humanitarian aid mission in Oleshky, in Kherson, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire at the residential neighbourhood following a Russian air attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

A residential building is seen damaged in Russian attacks during a local ceasefire related to a humanitarian aid mission in Oleshky, in Kherson, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A local man rides a bicycle beneath anti-drone nets stretched over a street during a local ceasefire related to a humanitarian aid mission in Oleshky, in Kherson, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

NEW YORK (AP) — A potentially historic drop for Alphabet's stock is dragging the U.S. market lower Thursday after the company behind Google and YouTube reported weaker growth for the summer than analysts expected. The report raised worries about whether all its huge investments in artificial-intelligence technology will pay off.

The S&P 500 fell 0.6% and was on track for its first loss in four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 209 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time and the Nasdaq composite was 1.9% lower.

Alphabet is one of the most influential stocks on Wall Street because it’s one of the largest, and its 13.4% drop was on track to be its worst on record. It was under heavy pressure to at least meet analysts’ expectations for growth amid concerns about how much it’s spending to invest in AI.

Alphabet said late Wednesday that it burned through more cash during the latest quarter, according to a measure called free cash flow, after its purchases of property and equipment topped $51 billion.

Such worries are weighing on the entire AI industry after a frenzy to build data centers and fill them with AI chips. Not only are worries high that the AI revolution may not produce the kinds of profits and productivity that would make the investment worth it, future spending is also under pressure because it’s become more expensive to borrow money.

Other companies helped to blunt the effect of Alphabet's drop on the market after reporting stronger profits for the summer than analysts expected. KLA Corp., whose equipment helps make semiconductors, rose 4.1%. Eli Lilly climbed 7.2%, and eBay rose 3.3%.

Outside of earnings reports, DoorDash rose 4.2% after saying it agreed to buy Instacart for $65 per share. Separately, DoorDash also reported profit and revenue for the latest quarter that missed analysts’ expectations.

In the bond market, Treasury yields eased following mixed data on the U.S. economy.

The overall economy’s growth may have accelerated by more during the summer than economists expected, according to a preliminary reading thanks to spending by U.S. consumers and businesses investing in AI. But other reports said Americans' growth in incomes was weaker in September than economists expected, while a measure of inflation worsened.

Fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, meanwhile, which could indicate few layoffs across the country.

Following the jumble of reports, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.95% from 5.05% late Wednesday. It’s back below where it was early Wednesday, before traders began interpreting the latest messages from the Federal Reserve as potential signals that it may pare back on hikes to interest rates to keep a lid on inflation.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.2% due to a drop for market heavyweight Samsung Electronics. It sank 4.1% even though it reported a big jump in profit.

AP Business Writer Chan Ho-him contributed to this report.

FILE - Traders Drew Cohen, left, and Dylan Halvorsan work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

A screen displays a news conference by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin Warsh on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A screen displays a news conference by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin Warsh on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A dealer watches computer monitors at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)