KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — A humanitarian mission entered the devastated city of Oleshky on Friday, officials said, as Russia and Ukraine observed the most significant truce of the 4 ½ year war that has raged since Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor.
A convoy of 25 buses, ambulances and aid was due in the Russian-occupied city, delivering food and medicine and evacuating people who want to leave to Russia and Ukraine. Some 2,000 people are still living there, authorities and volunteers say. A localized ceasefire in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region has held for four days and is due to continue through Sunday evening.
“Everyone who wishes to leave Oleshky will have the opportunity to do so safely,” the warring countries said in identical statements. “Those who choose to stay may remain and will receive all the humanitarian support they need.”
Officials from Russia and Ukraine worked together on the operation in a rare joint humanitarian effort. The United States played a central role in the mission, with the White House saying it was brokered by first lady Melania Trump. Pope Leo XIV also pressed the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to help Oleshky.
But outside Oleshky and its surroundings the war continued.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones overnight, and Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched ballistic and other missiles as well as scores of drones.
The convoy was set up in Armiansk, a town in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine about 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Oleshky, said Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman and chief negotiator.
Demining of designated routes into the city was completed late Thursday, officials said, adding that two people were killed during the work.
Lubinets said the evacuation would run until 2 p.m. local time and that aid would be begin being distributed 30 minutes later. It wasn’t clear if he was using Ukrainian time or western Russian time, which is an hour ahead.
The route that evacuees would take was not published. Ukrainian territory is just across the River Dnipro from Oleshky, a couple of kilometers (miles) away.
A volunteer from Oleshky, Ksenia Arkhipova, told The Associated Press on Thursday that roughly 1,000 residents had told her they want to leave the city.
She said it was important that the Ukrainian delegation was present in Oleshky because many residents fear Russian authorities would interrogate or detain them.
Authorities have invited a small number of Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. media organizations to cover the operation in Oleshky.
Associated Press writers 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, cars are on fire following a Russian air attack in Chernyhiv, 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)
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev failed to attend a regional summit hosted by Turkey on Friday, fueling speculation about a rift between the once-close allies.
Turkey and Azerbaijan are traditional allies with deep cultural and ethnic ties and often describe themselves as being “one nation, two states.” But tensions have emerged recently following criticism in Turkey about Azerbaijan’s decision to ban the wearing of hijabs in schools and over Baku’s growing ties with Israel.
Whether Aliyev would participate in the summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara was being watched for an indication of the state of the relationship.
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov represented Azerbaijan at the meeting and Azerbaijani media attributed Aliyev’s absence to previously scheduled engagements. The organization groups Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
But Farman Aydin, an analyst writing in Azerbaijan’s pro-government Azernews media outlet, pointed at an increasingly hostile campaign against Azerbaijan.
“For Azerbaijanis, the hostility is especially painful because it comes from a country regarded as a close ally,” he wrote.
He said Aliyev’s decision not to attend the summit "can equally be understood as a diplomatic signal that even the closest partnerships require mutual respect.”
The rift appeared after social media users in Turkey and some members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamic-oriented ruling party criticized Baku’s decision in September to ban girls and teachers wearing Islamic covering in schools.
Small-scale protests were also staged outside Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions in Turkey, where Erdogan’s government overturned similar hijab bans after coming to power in 2003.
Adding to the tensions, many in Turkey — a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions in the Middle East — have also questioned Azerbaijan’s close ties to Israel.
The criticism drew anger in energy-rich Azerbaijan which complained of interference in its internal affairs even though Turkey's government never made an official statement about the Azerbaijani hijab ban.
Azerbaijan banned more than 30 Turkish nationals from traveling to the country over their criticism of the hijab ban, including the leader of a small, Islamic-leaning opposition party.
In an effort to ease tensions, Erdogan called Aliyev earlier this week to invite him to the summit personally. He also fired an aide, Oktay Saral, reportedly bowing to a demand from the Azerbaijani president, according to Cumhuriyet newspaper and other media.
In his opening speech to the summit, Erdogan said there can be no rift within the Turkic-speaking countries.
“There is no room for division, discord or dispute in the family portrait of the Turkic world,” Erdogan said. “We are all one, we are together. God willing, we are brothers from eternity to eternity.”
Turkey’s ties with Azerbaijan have repercussions on its efforts to normalize ties with neighboring Armenia, including the reopening of their joint border that would increase trade and revive local economies on both sides of the frontier.
Turkey closed the border in the 1990s in support of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia, and has tied normalization with Armenia to progress in reconciliation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
FILE - Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, left, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gather for a group photo during a meeting of the European Political Community at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Oct. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
