Test of silence: the truce in Alyoshki will test Ukraine's readiness for dialogue
The truce in Alyoshki will show the ability of Russia and Ukraine to negotiate and compromise. The silence regime will take effect on the morning of October 27. Success in the humanitarian field will create a positive background for the resumption of trilateral negotiations with the participation of the United States. Their new round will take place after November 4, probably in Abu Dhabi. At the same time, Switzerland, where the last such meeting was held, is also ready to host all parties to the conflict, Izvestia learned. This time, Europe can also join the negotiations — the Kremlin supported such a step. About how humanitarian cooperation is progressing and what to expect from the resumption of meetings between representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine — in the Izvestia article.
How will the silence regime be organized in Alyosha?
The humanitarian truce between Russia and Ukraine in the town of Alyoshki, Kherson region, will begin at 4 a.m. on October 27, at which time, according to Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, our army will cease fire and impose a regime of silence.
"To ensure the safety of people and the delivery of socially important goods, engineering reconnaissance will be organized and the safe movement of a humanitarian convoy to the settlement of Alyoshki in the Kherson region will be ensured," the Russian Defense Ministry said earlier.
The truce was brokered by the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, whose efforts were supported by both Russia and Ukraine. Clear algorithms for organizing a humanitarian operation have not yet been announced, but the general principles are clear.
After the mutual ceasefire, on the morning of October 27, engineering intelligence groups should first examine the routes along which the humanitarian convoy will go, military expert Vasily Dandykin explained to Izvestia. If necessary, they will mine the roads and clear them of burnt-out equipment.
— The Ukrainian Armed Forces used drones to attack vehicles going to and from the city, and they bombarded the roads with mines. Without mine clearance, it will not be possible to safely transport goods and people. This will be the first and very important stage of the operation. Near Alyoshki, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked any transport — humanitarian, civilian, and even ambulances. That's how they operate in other regions, mining everything," Dandykin explained.
The military will also have to ensure the safety of cargo delivery and protect the convoy if, for example, an unforeseen unmanned threat appears.
— There is already a contact group that will monitor the observance of the truce. Its participants on the part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will have to ensure a cease—fire and stop UAV sorties," Dandykin explained. — Apparently, the control will be carried out by intermediaries from the United States. We must proceed from the fact that our engineering intelligence service will carry out work not only along the route of equipment with humanitarian supplies, but also in general in the city and the surrounding area.
After that, employees of the offices of the Human Rights Commissioners of Russia and Ukraine will enter the process. At least this conclusion, according to experts, can be drawn from the words of Melania Trump, which were quoted in the official message of the White House: "Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit the residents of Alyosha in their homes and determine the level of assistance they need."
Until 2022, about 26 thousand people lived in Alyoshki. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-large Rodion Miroshnik, approximately 1,300 residents remain in the city, mostly elderly people and citizens with limited mobility. The city came under the control of Russian forces in 2022, but the situation in it remains critical. Constant drone attacks and mined roads make it difficult to deliver food and medicine.
First of all, food, medicines, water and hygiene items will be delivered to the city. As part of the humanitarian mission, doctors will probably visit Alyosha to provide assistance to those local residents who need it.
And besides, those people who express a desire to leave the city will be able to do so. "Residents wishing to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their chosen destination," Melania Trump said in this regard.
The deadline for the humanitarian truce has not yet been announced. But it is obvious that his success should show that the parties are able to agree on at least specific working issues. This will give hope that in the future it will be possible to conclude the same agreements, for example, for the evacuation of people, the delivery of aid or the exchange of prisoners, says Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. The silence regime will indeed test the parties' readiness for pinpoint compromises, but not for a complete cease-fire without fulfilling the conditions, Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of the Russian Federation, agreed in an interview with Izvestia.
How will the peace process develop
In parallel with humanitarian cooperation, activity in political negotiations on Ukraine is increasing. Following the visit of the special envoy of the President of the United States, Steve Witkoff, to St. Petersburg and his talks with Vladimir Putin, an agreement was reached to resume trilateral negotiations with the participation of the Russian Federation, the United States and Ukraine. This result can be considered a breakthrough, given that the last round in this format was held in Geneva more than eight months ago, in mid—February.
Switzerland is also ready to organize a negotiation round on its territory today, the country's Foreign Ministry told Izvestia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President's Special Envoy Stephen Witkoff during a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg.
"The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA) maintains contacts with all parties and constantly offers its mediation services to help find a way to peace," the department said.
However, Abu Dhabi remains the most likely venue. Vladimir Zelensky said that he had received information about Russia's agreement to a trilateral meeting. He noted that the American side proposes to organize it "as soon as possible," and Kiev supports this. According to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the first round of negotiations after the break will be held immediately after November 4 and will be "targeted."
He stressed that after the meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska in August 2025, it seemed that the United States would be able to dictate terms to the Ukrainian side, but in practice this did not happen.
"Because it's not enough to talk only with Kiev, we need to talk with the whole of Europe, which fully supports Kiev," he added.
In fact, the Kremlin openly welcomed the participation of a representative from Europe in the negotiations, which had never happened before. Next, Politico reported that the EU returned to the search for a single special envoy at a future meeting. The Telegraph newspaper reported that five candidates are being considered: Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Peter Pavel, as well as heads of government of Denmark Mette Frederiksen and Norway Jonas Gare Stere.
As Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, clarified, the EU is only talking about appointing a representative, but it is not doing anything for this. And Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko bluntly stated that financial and military assistance to Kiev exclude Brussels from the list of neutral arbitrators.
If Europe is ready to negotiate and find adequate compromises, its participation will be appropriate and useful, Denis Denisov believes. But if the EU continues to take a radical position with Kiev's unilateral support, its presence will only harm the negotiation process and block it, the expert concludes.
At the same time, the EU is inconsistent not only in its negotiating position, but also in its economic policy.
— When some companies left under pressure from Western European governments, our friends from these countries almost cried. We have many friends in Europe, but we had to leave," Vladimir Putin said yesterday.
He also called the EU's rejection of gas contracts with Russia nonsense, recalling that Russian LNG still occupies 20% of the European market. Thus, Moscow shows that the economic door is open for Europe, but politically Brussels continues to block the peace process. Thus, the European Commission has included in the draft EU budget for 2028-2034 a new € 88.8 billion to support Ukraine, which can be used to purchase weapons.
Despite this, the White House seems to be serious about putting an end to the Ukrainian conflict. According to The Atlantic, Washington expects to achieve a result in the coming months. An interim milestone may be the November meeting of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in China at the APEC summit. Trump sees the G20 summit, which will be held on December 14-15 in Miami, Florida, as the final point for signing the peace agreement. An invitation has already been sent to the head of the Russian Federation, although the Kremlin clarified that the decision on the trip has not yet been made.
The results of the US congressional elections will also have an impact on the peace process. Experts warn that if the Republicans lose at least one chamber, Trump will be forced to become increasingly distracted by internal disputes with the Democrats, which risks hindering his efforts in international diplomacy. Do not forget about the Russian territorial conditions, without which the conflict is unlikely to be resolved. The Kremlin has repeatedly stressed that they will make a deal when the Ukrainian Armed Forces leave the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
