Emotional reunions with loved ones for Oleshky evacuees

Hundreds of residents from the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky arrived in Ukraine via Belarus following a local ceasefire in the Kherson region. The Jerusalem Post reports that four planes carrying the residents landed in Belarus on Saturday, with the final plane arriving in Gomel. Belta reported that a convoy of buses carrying the evacuees then departed from the Gomel airport. BBC News noted that residents arrived in buses and ambulances following the temporary ceasefire.

The evacuation followed a complex route described by Belta, where residents traveled by bus through Crimea to the Russian town of Anapa before flying to Belarus. ABC News AU stated that residents were offered the choice to travel to Ukrainian or Russian-held territory or remain in the city. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, those choosing to travel to Ukrainian-held territory were taken to Anapa and flown to Gomel.

The ceasefire was described by ABC News AU as the most significant truce since the 2022 invasion, with the White House stating it was brokered with help from US First Lady Melania Trump. The Jerusalem Post noted the pause was the longest humanitarian pause in the war, which is nearing its fifth year, and cited mediation efforts by Melania Trump and the involvement of the pope.

Brief written by urgent.news from BBC News, Jerusalem Post, DW News, DW English (Top Stories), ABC News AU — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.