Henri-Jean Bardon

It is time to pull the plug on the corrupt Kiev regime and make peace. https://strategic-culture. su/news/2026/10/30/alyoshki-humanitarian-truce-shows-kiev-regimes-barbarity-and-ultimately-how-us-can-end-it/ The breakthrough localized ceasefire on the Kherson front line has so far held in place, allowing critical humanitarian supplies into the besieged town of Alyoshki, where thousands of residents were facing starvation. Convoys from Russia carrying food supplies, medicines, sanitary materials and fuel began arriving Friday. The town had been largely cut off from outside contact since May this year. For nearly six months, the people of Alyoshki have been living in extreme deprivation under deadly assault from drones and mines fired by the NATO-backed Ukrainian regime. Yet the gutter-level Western media have portrayed the suffering of Alyoshki as being caused by Russia. The plight of the people came to worldwide attention earlier this month when Pope Leo XIV appealed to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian side to cooperate on breaking the siege. Then the dire situation facing the town was raised in a phone call between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on October 9. To her credit, America’s First Lady Melania Trump offered assistance in mediating a ceasefire to enable a humanitarian relief mission. It was Melania who announced on October 23 that a truce had been accepted by both sides. The cessation came into effect this week on October 27 at 4 am Moscow time. It is due to end on Sunday at midnight. The window of five days has permitted critical humanitarian supplies for the residents. Buses have also entered the town to evacuate those who want to leave. Russia’s human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova and her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitry Lubinets, led a joint mission to deliver aid and oversee arrangements for evacuation. The relief mission has been a logistical challenge. Alyoshki sits on the left bank of the Dnieper River, facing the city of Kherson on the other bank. Russian troops took Alyoshki (Oleshky in Ukrainian) during the first weeks of the Special Military Operation in March 2022. The Kherson Oblast (region) voted in a referendum to join the Russian Federation four years ago, along with the oblasts of Zaporozhye, Donetsk, and Lugansk. But the city of Kherson remains under the control of Ukraine. The four provinces are historically Russian territory, also known as Novorossiya. Alyoshki residents have been living on the front line in a pitiful crossfire. The conditions worsened after the Kakhovka dam was blown up by the NATO-backed Kiev regime forces using HIMARS rockets in June 2023. The flood destroyed much of the town’s civilian infrastructure and utilities for drinking water, electricity, and heating. Its population dwindled from a pre-war 25,000 to the present estimated 2,000. Their situation deteriorated in March 2025, when the Ukrainian forces blew up a major bridge over the Dnieper. That meant all access to the town was by road from the East through Russian-held territory. Earlier this year, the Ukrainian forces on the right bank of the river intensified the assault on Alyoshki with swarms of drones firing on inhabitants and their houses while dropping hundreds of mines on the town and its exit roads. Residents who were able to escape spoke of the hellish conditions of starvation while under constant threat of being fired on. Several people were killed or maimed by drones as they attempted to scavenge for food. In previous months, Russian vehicles attempting to bring in food supplies were routinely targeted by the Ukrainian drones. That was how the town ended up living under siege, and its people were facing starvation. It was methodically cut off by the NATO-backed regime. Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s foreign ministry envoy, described the situation as a “medieval blockade using modern methods.” The Kiev regime and the Western news media have gone into overdrive with propaganda. They have accused Russia of blockading the town and “exploiting” the humanitarian crisis. This is peddling incredible lies and doublethink. So, Russian troops who control Alyoshki are shooting at their own supply efforts? There are also other vile lies, such as Russia denying aid to residents unless they accept Russian citizenship. Yana Lantratova, @yana_lantratova , the Russian human rights commissioner, said anyone who wishes to relocate to Ukraine will be facilitated. All evacuees will have to be transported into Russia as a first step, then, if they wish, be flown to Belarus and from there to Ukraine. The circuitous route is because the Ukrainian forces blew up the bridge crossing the Dnieper. Most evacuees have been glad to be received by Russia. The Western propaganda distortion is similar to the siege of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The civilian nuclear installation has been under the control of Russian forces since 2022 and has been shelled constantly by the Ukrainian side with NATO weapons. Yet the Western media make out that it is the Russian forces that are targeting the ZNPP. Another confounding fact for the regime and the Western backers is that most of the Alyoshki residents want to remain in place now that humanitarian needs have been met. They are not fleeing to Ukraine. Praise is due to Melania Trump for getting personally involved in this crisis and helping bring relief to the people of Alyoshki. She said that American journalists have been allowed to observe the humanitarian mission along with their Russian counterparts. The U.S. news crew was said to be from the Newsmax outlet, which tends to be favorable to President Trump in its coverage. Though, notably, before the arrival of the relief mission on Friday, Newsmax anchors were repeating the Western media narrative that the humanitarian crisis had been caused by Russia. It will be interesting to see what its reporters have to say after visiting the town and talking with residents firsthand. There has been some speculation that the success of the Alyoshki truce could catalyze a wider ceasefire in Ukraine. That’s unlikely. The truce on the Kherson front line is a special case of a localized emergency to alleviate an acute humanitarian crisis. Moscow has consistently said that the solution to the conflict requires a peace settlement dealing with long-term issues of security and NATO’s historic aggression. A temporary general ceasefire is not acceptable. Nevertheless, what the Alyoshki breakthrough demonstrates is the benefit of dialogue and a basic commitment to cooperate in resolving difficulties. In principle, with that kind of attitude, any problem can be solved, and that’s “the art of the possible,” or diplomacy at work. However, it should be noted first and foremost that the appalling situation in Alyoshki was created by the Kiev regime using NATO weapons. This NeoNazi regime callously played with civilian lives to maximize pressure on Russia. It didn’t care about the suffering of civilians, even though, sickeningly, the regime is now making out that it is “saving our people.” The NeoNazis recreated a Leningrad-like barbaric siege. President Putin’s relatives died in the Nazi starvation of Leningrad (St Petersburg) during WWII. That memory no doubt gave him a stronger incentive to alleviate the crisis in Alyoshki. Surprisingly, the Kiev regime cooperated this time with a ceasefire to de-mine the roads and permit relief convoys into Alyoshki. Previous ceasefires, for example, ad hoc Christmas truces, were always breached by the duplicitous regime. This time, the regime is under pressure from President Trump to comply with a diesel deal made with Russia to ease fuel prices in the U.S. The regime knew it was on watch, and so it is not going to mess around, especially when the matter concerns the US president’s wife’s endeavors. This shows an important point. With enough leverage from Washington, the regime can be brought to heel, as it should be, to get this conflict resolved once and for all. This war is dragging on, and lives are suffering, because of U.S. and European procrastination. It is time to pull the plug on the corrupt Kiev regime and make peace.