Evacuation begins in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town Oleshky

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 10:53 · Archive

Up to 750 people are evacuating from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky under a temporary ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.

The evacuation of Oleshky, a Russian-occupied Ukrainian town in southern Ukraine, began on Friday as a temporary ceasefire held in the Kherson region. The ceasefire, reportedly brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, has been in force since Tuesday, allowing Russian sappers to demine the road out of the town. Residents had a four-hour window to leave.

Up to 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in the town and surrounding areas, trapped without regular access to food, water or electricity. Many have reportedly resorted to cooking garden weeds and pigeons to survive. A convoy of 25 buses with at least 750 seats stood ready to transport evacuees, along with ambulances for people with limited mobility and space for pets.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that evacuees would travel through Russian territory to the southern Russian city of Anapa, then board a Russian government plane to Gomel in Belarus before driving into Ukraine's Chernihiv region. Ukrainian prime minister Sergiy Koretskyi initially said 527 residents were expected to leave but later retracted this, saying there were no exact figures as the operation was ongoing.

Several hundred people have decided to stay in the town despite the devastation and lack of utilities. Lubinets said those who remain would receive humanitarian assistance. Reporters from Western countries, Russia and Ukraine accompanied the convoy, which also included aid vehicles.

How it is being reported

• Aid convoy enters besieged Ukrainian town OleshkyMoscow and Kyiv have so far observed the six-day truce as evacuations from Oleshky get under way.Al Jazeera · 30 Oct, 10:45
• Residents leave devastated Russian-occupied Oleshky as evacuation corridor opensSeveral hundred people are understood to have decided to stay in the frontline town, despite the lack of gas, electricity and running water.BBC News · 30 Oct, 10:32
• Evacuation of Russian-occupied Oleshky begins with aid convoy on wayUp to 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in the Ukrainian town and its surrounding areas, trapped without regular access to food, water or electricityIndependent World · 30 Oct, 08:59

In this story: Oleshky · Ukraine · Russia · Melania Trump · Dmytro Lubinets · Yana Lantratova · Kherson · Belarus

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log