Russia, Ukraine complete joint humanitarian mission under Oleshky ceasefire

A multi-day humanitarian ceasefire in the frontline city of Oleshky has concluded with both sides fulfilling their commitments, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova said on Sunday.

The temporary pause in fighting, agreed upon by Moscow and Kiev, enabled the delivery of essential supplies and the safe evacuation of civilians from the Russian-controlled town in southern Ukraine.

"All obligations were observed by both sides. This made it possible to deliver aid to the residents and ensure a safe, voluntary departure for those who decided to leave the city," she said on Russian social media MAX.

The operation was jointly coordinated by Lantratova and Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's parliament commissioner for human rights. Emphasizing the need to build on their cooperation, Lantratova noted that residents remaining in Oleshky still require urgent assistance, making the continuation of such humanitarian missions critical.

"The humanitarian mission had a single goal: to deliver humanitarian aid to those who needed it, while ensuring that those who wished to leave can do so as safely as possible. There were no incidents or violations of the ceasefire; everything went on according to plan. We have agreed to analyze how the operation unfolded, identify any challenges, and determine what might need to be adjusted or improved," Lantratova said at a press conference in Moscow on Monday.

"My colleague and I have also agreed to organize similar humanitarian aid delivery missions on a regular (monthly) basis. Our current task is to continue this work and scale it up as much as possible, while remaining attentive to any new needs that may arise," she added.

Residents were evacuated from Oleshky on Oct 30, flying to Belarus before crossing into Ukraine. Three planes carrying them landed at Gomel International Airport in southeastern Belarus on the morning of Oct 31, Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported.

From Gomel, they were transported by bus to the Nova Guta border crossing with Ukraine. Before the evacuation, roads leading to Oleshky were cleared of mines and humanitarian aid was delivered.

Oleshky sits on the left bank of the Dnieper River, opposite the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kherson. The town has been under Russian control since February 2022 and faces a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies amid continuous fighting.

The "silence regime" for the humanitarian mission in Oleshky took effect on Oct 27 and ran until 22:59 Moscow time (1959 GMT) on Nov 1, during which aid was delivered to the city and evacuations were carried out for those wishing to leave. Russia and Ukraine agreed on Oct 23 to the temporary ceasefire to facilitate aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.

Russia, Ukraine complete joint humanitarian mission under Oleshky ceasefire

Russia, Ukraine complete joint humanitarian mission under Oleshky ceasefire

Russia, Ukraine complete joint humanitarian mission under Oleshky ceasefire

Russia, Ukraine complete joint humanitarian mission under Oleshky ceasefire

Teams competing in the climbing event on Mount Tai in Tai'an City of east China's Shandong Province took the race as a valuable real-world testing ground to evaluate their robots' power, balance and autonomous perception capability.

The inaugural China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Mount Tai Challenge on Monday drew nearly 90 teams. The competition was divided into two main categories of speed races and specialized events, with five events in total for different robot forms, including humanoid, quadruped, and exoskeleton.

Competitors tackled the 3.9-kilometer ancient stone path from Hongmen to Zhongtianmen -- ascending more than 3,100 steps with an elevation gain of nearly 640 meters, while the morning mist and moss added extra layers of difficulty.

A humanoid robot developed by VSISLAB of Shandong University's School of Control Science and Engineering struggled at the start on the rugged terrain.

"At the beginning, there is a very steep section, which narrows to just 18 or 19 centimeters in width at its tightest point. The robot made two attempts to pass it, and it did not fall over," said Li Zhongzheng, a student of the university.

The team successfully finished the race and placed eighth.

The Beijing Lingyi Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, won the quadruped robot speed race. Its robots completed the demanding climb with a steady, mechanical ascent over uneven steps, stone ridges and narrow mountain paths.

"We have four robotic dogs in the competition. They secured both the first and second place in the racing event, as well as the second place in the weight-carrying event," said Chen Xiyun, leader of the Beijing Lingyi Technology Team.

For many participants, the event provided a rare opportunity to test their models in real-world scenarios, enabling products to improve more quickly than through laboratory trials alone.

"From a technical standpoint, there are many goals for us to pursue. I hope our team can continue to climb higher, step by step, just as the robots did during this competition," said Wang Jian, engineer of the Norinco Intelligent Innovation Research Institute (Shenzhen) Company.

Robots test their limits at Mount Tai climbing competition