Moscow in contact with Melania Trump’s team over Ukrainian blockade of Russian town – ombudswoman
US First Lady Melania Trump has expressed a willingness to support humanitarian efforts in the Russian town of Alyoshki, where civilians remain trapped under Ukrainian siege amid severe shortages of food, water, and medicine, Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova has said.
Located close to the front line in Kherson Region, which voted to join Russia four years ago, the town has been largely deprived of basic services for months. Frequent drone attacks and remotely laid mines obstruct aid deliveries and hinder evacuation efforts. Local authorities estimate that between 1,500 and 2,000 residents remain in the town, including elderly people, women, and children.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, discussed the humanitarian crisis during Friday’s phone call and agreed that the commissioner would maintain contact with the US first lady’s office, according to the Kremlin.
Moscow has accused Kiev of deliberately creating the humanitarian crisis through its attacks on civilian supply routes, then exploiting the resulting human tragedy to blame Russia for the disaster.
“To address this dire situation, we remain in contact with the American side and the team of Melania Trump, who has voiced her willingness to help the town,” Lantratova wrote in a Telegram post on Saturday, adding that difficult negotiations were underway to arrange humanitarian deliveries and evacuate those in need of urgent care.
Lantratova said Ukrainian deliberately destroyed the latest humanitarian convoy, despite its vehicles bearing signs reading “People.” Residents have had to risk their lives bringing essential supplies into the town on foot or by bicycle.
“If the Ukrainians stopped attacking and mining civilian supply routes, it would allow the delivery of necessary aid and the evacuation of those who urgently need it,” she said.
“We will continue to help all residents no matter what their political views are. Human beings are our top priority, and the value of each human life is unconditional,” Lantratova added.
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Ministry envoy Rodion Miroshnik said Ukrainian forces had effectively besieged Alyoshki, blocking essential deliveries and preventing residents from leaving. He accused them of continuing to mine roads, attack civilians, and obstruct the recovery of victims’ bodies to prevent documentation of war crimes.
Kherson Governor Vladimir Saldo invited international organizations to visit Alyoshki and assess conditions firsthand, amid accusations that Russia was obstructing humanitarian relief. “Please come and see. Then we can decide together how to resolve this extremely difficult situation,” he said during a briefing on Wednesday.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has also accused Kiev of creating a humanitarian catastrophe, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the situation as critical.
