// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Truce begins in Ukraine city where residents ate weeds to survive
A truce has begun in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, where residents have been trapped without food, water and electricity.
Ukrainian officials and Russia's defence ministry say the limited ceasefire is being respected. The truce, which the White House said was secured by US First Lady Melania Trump, is meant to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuation on Friday.
Oleshky, along the front line in the Kherson region, is trapped on one side by the Dnipro River, which separates it from Ukrainian positions, and on the other by Russian forces.
Many residents have resorted to cooking garden weeds to survive, telling the BBC they are suffering extreme hunger and want to leave.
Many worry the truce will not hold, with one resident saying: "I don't believe in Russia's humanity."
Oleshky, home to 24,000 people before the war, was seized by Russia during the first days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine now estimates some 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in the city and its surrounding areas.
No shops are open, and the city has had no electricity, gas or water for three years.
Ukraine has attempted to deliver supplies but has not had success in recent months, and it is deemed too dangerous to risk leaving on foot along mined roads out of the city. The ceasefire is supposed to allow supplies to reach the city and enable its roads to be cleared of mines to allow people safe passage out.
One woman told the BBC she is in hospital recovering from two surgeries after stepping on a land mine.
"I don't know how long I will have to spend there," she said, worried about not being able to join Friday's planned evacuation.