167 Civilians Evacuated from Right-Bank Kherson Region During Oleshky Humanitarian Mission
Ukraine's Defense Forces used a ceasefire set up for a humanitarian mission in Oleshky to evacuate 167 civilians from the right-bank part of Kherson Oblast. They included 22 children and 21 people with limited mobility.
Ukraine's Defense Forces evacuated 167 civilians from the Ukrainian-controlled right bank of the Dnipro in Kherson Oblast while a ceasefire was in force for a humanitarian mission in Oleshky, a city temporarily occupied by Russia. The information comes from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
What was done
The General Staff said the troops took advantage of the security situation created by the truce in designated areas of the region. The evacuation covered settlements along the Dnipro that came under Russian shelling every day. People who had previously been unable to leave dangerous areas were able to get out.
Civil-military cooperation units of the "South" force grouping, working with local authorities, took 167 civilians to safer locations in Kherson Oblast. Among them were 22 children and 21 people with limited mobility.
Conditions
The General Staff stressed that the evacuation took place in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions. Routes ran along mined, damaged roads and past stretches with burnt-out military vehicles and civilian cars. This considerably hampered movement and demanded great caution. According to the General Staff, the "South" grouping strictly observes the ceasefire in the area of the humanitarian mission.
Background
The White House announced that Melania Trump had secured a truce between Russia and Ukraine in Oleshky. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said the ceasefire began at 3:00 a.m. on 27 October and would last until 22:59 on 1 November. Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed the ceasefire.
Under the agreement between the sides, the evacuation route for Oleshky residents ran through Russia and Belarus to Ukraine. Some people went to Ukraine, others to Russian-controlled territory, as they chose. On 31 October President Volodymyr Zelensky reported the humanitarian operation had succeeded; all evacuated Ukrainian citizens crossed the state border in Chernihiv Oblast. Lubinets said the oldest evacuee from Oleshky is 94, the youngest a little over a year old, and pets were taken out as well.
