Evacuees from Russian-Occupied Oleshky Arrive in Belarus Following Humanitarian Ceasefire

Residents of the devastated city of Oleshky, which has been under Russian occupation, have arrived in Belarus after being evacuated from the frontline area. The evacuees are anticipated to return to Ukraine later on Saturday, according to official statements. Authorities reported that the residents of the frontline city had been trapped without essential services, including food, water, and electricity. Conditions were so dire that many residents reportedly resorted to cooking garden weeds for survival. The evacuation process began on Friday, following a local ceasefire that was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump. The residents were transported through Russian-controlled territory before reaching Belarus. Planes carrying the evacuees landed in the city of Gomel on Saturday morning, according to Belarusian state media and a senior Ukrainian official. David Arakhamia, a key Ukrainian official, confirmed that all Ukrainian citizens evacuated from Oleshky, along with the Ukrainian delegation, would be on Ukrainian territory within a few hours. This movement followed a humanitarian ceasefire that took effect across the Kherson region on Tuesday. This ceasefire marks one of the first periods of peace in the area in four years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Conditions in Oleshky had become extremely dangerous due to the difficulty of supply lines, compounded by minefields and drone attacks. The ceasefire has allowed the road out of the city to be cleared of mines, and it is scheduled to remain in place until the end of Sunday, November 1. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that those residents who choose to remain in the war-torn city will receive all necessary humanitarian assistance. Before the war, Oleshky housed 24,000 people, but the city was seized by Russia during the initial phases of the full-scale invasion. Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, traveled to Oleshky together on Friday, setting off from Armiansk in the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Lubinets noted that his cooperation with Lantratova was undertaken solely to save lives, despite some domestic criticism regarding his presence alongside a Russian representative. Russia has stated that it has prepared dozens of tonnes of aid for residents who decide not to leave, including food, medicine, hygiene products, and fuel for generators.