By Islam El-Sakka
Residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky began evacuating on Friday after a ceasefire brokered by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump allowed a humanitarian corridor to open. The ceasefire has been in force across the frontline region since Tuesday, enabling Russian sappers to demine the road out of the city.
Four-hour window for departure
An evacuation convoy of 25 buses is scheduled to transport up to 750 people until 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT). Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said everyone who wishes to leave will be given safe passage, while those who stay will receive humanitarian assistance. Several hundred residents have chosen to remain despite widespread devastation and the lack of gas, electricity, and running water.
Complex route to Ukrainian territory
Evacuees must first travel through Russian-occupied territory to the southern Russian city of Anapa. From there they will board a Russian government plane to Gomel, Belarus, before driving across the border into Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. Others are expected to stay in Russian-controlled areas.
Officials coordinate on the ground
Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, traveled to Oleshky together on Friday. Lantratova posted a video showing residents forming two groups based on their preferred destination. Lubinets met with tearful locals and acknowledged that many are staying by choice, pledging to ensure aid delivery.
Aid promised for those who stay
Russia said on Thursday it had prepared “dozens of tonnes” of aid, including food, medicine, hygiene products, and generator fuel for residents who do not leave. One resident told the BBC she refused to evacuate because her animals would not be accepted. Another woman, Olena, said her grandmother and extended family in Oleshky are staying, noting the older generation does not want to leave. She described how locals transport wounded and dead people in garden wheelbarrows after a landmine incident last winter.
Ceasefire holds until Sunday
The ceasefire is due to remain in effect until the end of Sunday, 1 November, providing the first days of peace in the Kherson region since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
