Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, proposed organizing a humanitarian mission in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, following the model of the operation conducted in late October in Oleshky, Kherson region. This was reported on November 12 by RBC-Ukraine, citing Russian media outlets quoting the Kremlin leader. According to Putin, Kostiantynivka is under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, and Moscow is ready to ensure the safety of the humanitarian mission. At the same time, he stated that Russian specialists would need five days to clear the territory in the vicinity of the city. "If Kyiv believes it controls the city, then it should ensure safety on its side itself," the Russian leader was quoted as saying by RBC-Ukraine. According to the statement, the preparation of the mission is proposed to be entrusted to the human rights commissioners of Russia and Ukraine.
Background: How the Oleshky mission proceeded
The first coordinated humanitarian operation during the conflict was carried out in Oleshky, Kherson region. On October 23, Russia and Ukraine, through the mediation of US First Lady Melania Trump, agreed on a temporary ceasefire in the city. Initially, the operation was planned to start on October 29, but the timeline was adjusted: the ceasefire came into effect on October 27 at 04:00 and lasted until the end of November 1. The terms were agreed upon by the Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets; documents defining the procedures were signed during negotiations in Gomel (Belarus). The humanitarian convoy evacuated more than 750 people: some of the evacuees left for Russia, but the majority returned to Ukraine. On October 31, the residents arrived in Ukrainian territory via Belarus.
What happened during the "silence": data from Ukrainian sources
Despite the formal ceasefire, Ukrainian sources reported violations of the terms. According to Yaroslav Moroz, head of the UAV unit of the 34th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy, during the "silence," Russian military forces redeployed more than a thousand soldiers to the occupied part of the Kherson region. Sky News journalist Azad Safarov, who was in Oleshky, reported that Russian troops were bringing equipment, weapons, and ammunition into the city, as well as searching for basements to set up new positions and restoring previously lost ones. Meanwhile, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed the retrieval of the bodies of military personnel and civilians from the city morgue; under an agreement with the Russian Federation, the bodies of those whose relatives reside in Ukraine were returned to the Ukrainian side.
International resonance and prospects
On the same day, October 31, Yana Lantratova announced an agreement on conducting regular humanitarian missions. Melania Trump, who acted as a mediator, expressed hope that Oleshky would become "the beginning of the path to a lasting peace," noting that the ceasefire allowed people to move freely and obtain food, water, and medicine. In a photo taken during the evacuation operations, residents wrapped in Ukrainian national flags can be seen waiting near a bus—a typical scene of humanitarian corridors operating in frontline areas. Putin's initiative for Kostiantynivka, if implemented, would be the second attempt at a large-scale humanitarian operation in the current period; however, given the recorded violations in Oleshky, the question of trust in the observance of the ceasefire remains key.
Context of the negotiations
Putin's statement came during a meeting in the Kremlin with the American negotiators, indicating that the humanitarian agenda is linked to a broader diplomatic track. The mention of Kostiantynivka—a city that, according to Moscow, is under the control of the Russian Armed Forces—allows the initiative to be viewed as a component of the negotiating position: Russia offers a format where the security of the mission is formally ensured by them, while shifting responsibility to Kyiv in case of disagreement regarding the assessment of territorial control. The Ukrainian side has not yet released an official comment on Putin's proposal regarding Kostiantynivka.
