UN, October 24. /TASS/. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the agreement on the imminent start of a ceasefire in the town of Alyoshki in the Kherson Region, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

"The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the US First Lady Mrs. Melania Trump of a negotiated ceasefire to begin shortly in the town of Alyoshki, and commends the efforts of all who have contributed to that end," he said in a statement.

"He hopes that this and other steps will help to relieve the dire humanitarian situation in Oleshky and enable urgent provision of life-saving assistance, as well as the safe and voluntary evacuation of the town’s residents in a manner strictly compliant with

international humanitarian law. He hopes that such arrangements can be extended to other areas where civilians are suffering."

Earlier, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Defense Minister, Army General Valery Gerasimov said that Russian troops would impose a ceasefire in the Kherson direction starting at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time (1:00 a.m. GMT) on October·27 for the humanitarian operation.

The White House said on October 23 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire in the Alyoshki area from October 29 to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and to prepare for the evacuation of civilians through a special safe corridor. An independent media organization from the United States will monitor and document the actions of Russian and Ukrainian groups on the ground throughout the entire process.