Oleshky evacuees reach Belarus

Residents of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky arrived in Gomel, Belarus, on Saturday morning. Authorities expect the group to cross back into Ukrainian territory within hours. The evacuation was facilitated by a temporary ceasefire that took effect in the Kherson region on Tuesday.

The humanitarian pause allowed a convoy of 25 buses to depart Oleshky on Friday afternoon. The buses had capacity for 750 people and were accompanied by ambulances for residents with limited mobility. David Arakhamia, a senior Ukrainian official, confirmed that the fourth and final plane landed in Gomel on Saturday.

Before the evacuation, the city had been without electricity, gas, and water for three years. Supply lines were frequently disrupted by mines and drone attacks. One resident who fled three weeks prior reported walking 15 miles through minefields to escape. The current ceasefire allowed engineers to clear the road out of the city. The pause in fighting will remain in effect until Sunday, November 1.

Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets traveled to Oleshky on Friday to coordinate the evacuation. He was joined by his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova. They departed from Armiansk in the Crimean peninsula. Lubinets is the first Ukrainian official to visit Russian-occupied territory since the war began in February 2022.

Evacuees traveled through Russian-occupied land to the southern city of Anapa. From there, they flew to Gomel. A bus convoy left the airport in Gomel heading toward the Ukrainian border, according to the state news agency Belta. Ukrainian military positions are located just 3.1 miles from Oleshky, but bridges across the River Dnipro were destroyed. The riverbank is also mined.

Several hundred residents chose to remain in Oleshky despite the destruction. The city had a population of 24,000 before the war. Russia announced on Thursday that it prepared dozens of tonnes of aid for those staying. The supplies include food, medicine, hygiene products, and fuel for generators. Lubinets stated that those remaining will receive necessary humanitarian assistance.