Evacuees From Russian-Occupied Oleshky Arrive in Ukraine Under Localized Ceasefire

Civilians evacuated from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky have arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory as a localized ceasefire takes effect in the southern Kherson region. The temporary truce, described as the most significant since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, began at 3:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday and is expected to last through Sunday evening.

The rare joint humanitarian operation provided relief to the estimated 2,000 remaining residents of Oleshky, located along the Dnipro River. Residents were offered options to relocate to Ukrainian-held or Russian-held territory, or to remain in the city with replenished stocks of food and medical supplies. Convoys of buses carrying civilians out of the war-torn area began departing on Friday.

Evacuation Route and Humanitarian Effort

According to the White House, the ceasefire in the Kherson region was brokered with assistance from U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. While neither Russia nor Ukraine specified the total number of departing civilians, the U.S. First Lady indicated on social media on Friday that the humanitarian convoy could safely evacuate more than 750 people.

Russia's Ministry of Defense reported that evacuees opting for Ukrainian-controlled territory were initially transported to the Russian city of Anapa and then flown to Homel in Belarus. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's commissioner for human rights, accompanied the evacuees during the transit, according to the ministry.

Families Reunite at the Border

Relatives gathered on Saturday at the border between Ukraine and Belarus to meet arriving family members. Aid tents, coffee stations, and pet supplies were set up at the crossing, supported by volunteers from organizations including the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and World Central Kitchen.

Among those waiting was Liza Paliy, who had not seen her father for over two years after fleeing occupied territory with her mother and sister. Daria Pavlyn also waited at the border hoping to reunite with her father, Mykhailo, after losing contact with him approximately a month ago. Pavlyn noted that her father had previously hesitated to undertake the journey out of the region, particularly without Russian documents.