Residents leave Russian-occupied Oleshky via evacuation corridor
Russian and Ukrainian authorities confirm civilian evacuations from the occupied city of Oleshky under a frontline ceasefire brokered by Melania Trump.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Evacuations are underway in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.
- A convoy of 25 buses accommodates up to 750 evacuees with medical support.
- A four-hour window was established for residents to leave the frontline zone.
- Many residents chose to stay despite infrastructure losses and devastation.
Civilians are evacuating the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky amid widespread destruction, following a frontline ceasefire in the Kherson region designed to clear mines from exit routes. Russian and Ukrainian authorities confirmed that operations are moving forward under negotiated terms.
The ceasefire was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, allowing residents wishing to leave a four-hour window to escape the area. An evacuation convoy consisting of 25 buses has been deployed to transport up to 750 people, alongside ambulances designated for individuals with mobility limitations who require immediate medical assistance.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Despite the opening of the corridor, several hundred residents have opted to remain in the town despite severe devastation and a total lack of gas, electricity, and running water. Officials noted that those who choose to stay will receive necessary humanitarian supplies, with Russia preparing dozens of tons of food, medicine, hygiene items, and generator fuel.
Although Ukrainian territory lies just 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles away from Oleshky, evacuees must first travel through Russian-occupied territory before heading to the southern Russian city of Anapa. From there, they will board a Russian government plane to Gomel in Belarus and drive across the border into Ukraine's Chernihiv region.
"She lost her legs after stepping on a landmine, covered in snow... People took her to the hospital in a garden wheelbarrow."
Olena (Kyiv resident)
Ukrainian human rights official Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova visited Oleshky together. Lantratova posted a video showing residents being offered options to travel toward Russian-controlled areas or return to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Kyiv resident Olena shared harrowing accounts of her family remaining in the war-torn city, highlighting past tragedies involving landmines during the winter months.
Frontline humanitarian corridors in prolonged geopolitical conflicts require intricate diplomatic mediation and strict adherence to localized truces. The decision of numerous residents to remain behind, despite the collapse of municipal utilities, highlights the profound challenges of displacement and the deep personal ties individuals hold toward their hometowns during wartime.
Source: BBC World
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