OLESHKY, Ukraine — Evacuations from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky began on Friday under a local ceasefire brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump, senior Ukrainian lawmaker David Arakhamia said on Telegram.
“We are in Oleshky!” Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, posted on X. “The ceasefire has been in effect for 80 hours and remains in place.” He said the Ukrainian delegation had safely reached the city and that he was speaking with residents about the help they need most.
Twenty-five buses with room for 750 people were prepared for the evacuation, along with ambulances for people with limited mobility, Lubinets said in an earlier post on Friday. Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said there was special provision for people who were bedridden, 50 medical personnel were present, and one bus was fitted with pet cages, according to Reuters.
Groups of residents were boarding the buses, some wishing to go to Russia and others to Ukraine, Lantratova said, according to Reuters. “We have reached an agreement to assist citizens who wish to travel to Ukraine — they will be provided with the opportunity to do so. Likewise, assistance will be available to those who wish to travel to the Russian Federation,” Lubinets said.
Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyi told Ukraine’s parliament on Friday that residents heading for Ukraine would travel through Russia to Belarus before entering the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, Interfax Ukraine reported, according to Reuters.
An aid convoy also reached the town on Friday. Appearing beside Lubinets, Lantratova said food, hygiene products, medical supplies and fuel were being delivered, according to Reuters.
“Our main task is to ensure that this assistance reaches every person in need. Particular attention is being paid to older people, persons with disabilities, and anyone who is unable to care for themselves due to their health condition or other circumstances.”
The convoy followed demining work on the routes into the town, in which a sapper and one other person were killed, Lantratova said, according to Reuters.
The local ceasefire took effect early on Tuesday across Oleshky and the wider Kherson region, and Lubinets described its reach as a first in the war. “This is the first time since 2022 that a ceasefire has been established across such an extensive stretch of the front line and has been maintained for such a significant duration,” he said, according to Reuters.
Oleshky sits on the Dnipro River opposite the city of Kherson and was seized by Russian troops in the first days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Reuters reported. The town was badly flooded after the Kakhovka dam upriver was destroyed in 2023, and residents have described surviving on a cup of rice or buckwheat a day, according to Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was a “high degree of coordination” between Lantratova and Lubinets, according to Reuters.
Attacks continued elsewhere. Russian strikes overnight targeted seven regions as well as Kyiv and Dnipro, according to Reuters. The Kherson region ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday, CNN reported.
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