Evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky arrive in Belarus, due back in Ukraine shortly
Residents evacuated from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region landed in Belarus on Saturday morning and are expected to reach Ukrainian territory later in the day. The evacuation took place during a local ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.
Residents who were evacuated on Friday from the devastated, Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine arrived by plane in the Belarusian city of Gomel on Saturday morning. Ukrainian officials say they will be back on Ukrainian territory later the same day. The evacuation took place during a local humanitarian ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.
David Arakhamia, a key Ukrainian official, said the fourth and final plane had landed. According to him, within a few hours all Ukrainian citizens taken out of Oleshky will be on Ukrainian territory together with the Ukrainian delegation. Belarus's state-owned news agency Belta reported that a bus convoy carrying Oleshky residents had already left Gomel airport and was heading for the Ukrainian border.
Ceasefire in Kherson region
The humanitarian ceasefire across the frontline Kherson region took effect on Tuesday. It is the first period of peace in the area in four years, since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The truce allowed the road out of Oleshky to be demined and will remain in force until the end of 1 November.
On Friday, residents had a four-hour window to leave. Afterwards, a convoy of 25 buses with room for 750 people left the town in the afternoon, along with ambulances for people with limited mobility.
Some residents stayed
Several hundred people are understood to have chosen to remain in the city, despite widespread destruction and a lack of gas, electricity and running water. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Friday morning that those who stay will receive all necessary humanitarian assistance.
