Ukraine: Oleshky residents evacuate war-ravaged city

During a rare ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, hundreds of residents from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky were evacuated. Russian and Ukrainian authorities reported the process went smoothly with no incidents, praising its high level of organization. Lantratova, the Russian human rights ombudsman, confirmed that evacuees were en route to southern Russia and would eventually travel to Ukraine via Belarus.

Melania Trump affirmed that the safe passage for both directions was established through mutual agreement between Russian and Ukrainian leaders. The Ukrainian ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, expressed his joint request with his counterpart for such humanitarian missions to be conducted regularly under her coordination. A ceasefire, the longest and most extensive since the start of Russia's invasion in 2022, was in effect in the Kherson frontline region since Tuesday, enabling the road out of Oleshky to be cleared of mines.

Residents were given a four-hour window on Friday to leave, with a convoy of 25 buses accommodating up to 750 people until 14:00. Despite the destruction and lack of basic amenities like gas, electricity, and running water, several hundred residents opted to stay. Ukrainian military positions sit 5km away from Oleshky, but evacuees must first enter Russian-occupied territory before reaching Anapa, Russia.

From there, they travel by Russian government plane to Gomel in Belarus and then cross into Ukraine's Chernihiv region. Lubinets, the first Ukrainian official to visit Russian-occupied Ukraine since the war began, accompanied the evacuees back into Ukraine on Saturday, alongside his Russian counterpart. The cooperation between the two ombudsmen has been aimed at saving lives, but some Ukrainians have criticized Lubinets for his presence alongside a Russian representative, considering him a symbol of the ongoing occupation.