Residents of Oleshky, a front-line city in southeastern Ukraine that has been under Russian control since February 2022, began evacuating earlier this week after a humanitarian ceasefire took effect in the Kherson region. The ceasefire, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, marked the first sustained period of peace in the area in four years and provided an opportunity for trapped civilians to leave the conflict zone.
Oleshky has remained largely isolated, surrounded by the Dnipro River on one side and Russian forces on the other. Residents described severe conditions during their occupation, including constant shelling, extreme food shortages, and dangerous minefields surrounding the city. Some residents attempted to survive by foraging for garden weeds or crossing minefields to search for supplies, with some being killed or injured in the process.
A total of up to 750 evacuees were transported via a convoy of 25 buses on Friday, with additional ambulances provided for those with mobility limitations. The evacuation route took residents through Russian-occupied territory to southern Russia, then by air to Belarus, before arriving at a military facility in Chernihiv on Saturday for processing. Among those evacuated were approximately 200 children, with up to 6,000 people believed to remain in Oleshky and surrounding areas.
The evacuation produced emotional scenes as family members who had been separated for years reunited at the processing facility. Several evacuees described the toll of years under occupation, including destroyed homes and repeated attacks. Those who escaped now face the challenge of rebuilding their lives, with many having no relatives in other parts of Ukraine and limited immediate prospects for employment or permanent housing.
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