A truce in place between Ukraine and Russia took effect on Tuesday, aimed at allowing humanitarian aid into the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. The ceasefire, which began at 3am local time (9am Hong Kong time), comes at a time when the war-ravaged city has been experiencing a humanitarian crisis, with former residents describing dire conditions, starvation, and a lack of medical supplies. The truce, while limited in scope, follows the announcement last Friday by US First Lady Melania Trump that she had brokered the ceasefire, with civilian officials from both sides set to assess needs and provide assistance. The ceasefire marks a small victory in the ongoing five-year conflict between the two countries and follows months of peace talks between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv. While details on monitoring the truce and the humanitarian operation are sparse, Russia's defence ministry stated that it would halt fire in the "Kherson sector" for the duration of the ceasefire. The city's population has dramatically declined from around 24,000 prior to the conflict to approximately 2,000, with up to 50 children still remaining, according to Ukrainian and US estimates. The truce comes in the wake of the 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which resulted in significant flooding along the Dnipro River, further exacerbating the city's situation. (AFP)