Residents who were evacuated from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky as part of a U.S.-brokered temporary ceasefire crossed into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday. The civilians traveled by bus and plane through Russia and Belarus, following a deal brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump. Oleshky is a city in Ukraine's southeastern Kherson region occupied by Russia since the first days of the Ukraine-Russia war.
It is one of the most dire humanitarian crises of the conflict. The ceasefire began at 3 a.m. Tuesday and is expected to continue through Sunday evening.
The estimated 2,000 remaining residents of Oleshky were offered the choice of traveling to Ukrainian- or Russian-held territory, or remaining in the city with replenished food and medical supplies. Those who chose to return to Ukraine were taken to the Russian city of Anapa, then flown to Homel in Belarus, from where they proceeded back home. Ukrainian authorities imposed restrictions on disclosing the number of evacuees or the border crossing location.
The measures are to safeguard those who chose to remain in Oleshky as well as to protect future humanitarian missions, the organizers said. Relatives waited on Saturday at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, along with aid tents, coffee stands and even provisions to feed the pets the evacuees were bringing with them. Volunteers from organizations including the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and the World Central Kitchen were also there.
Liza Paliy, 19, who last saw her father over 2½ years ago when she, her mother and sister fled from the occupied territory while he stayed behind, was among those waiting. "We thought at that time that it would be a month, two maximum, and we would return, but unfortunately, two years have already passed," she said. Daria Pavlyn also waited at the border in hopes of reuniting with her father, Mykhailo, whom she had not heard from in about a month.
He had planned to flee occupied territory with his family after a nearby strike killed two neighbors but stayed behind when arrangements to care for the family's home and animals fell through. "We realized that, well, there was no (other) way, and he walked us to the road and that was it — that was the last time" they saw him, Pavlyn said. She said that since then, he had feared making the arduous journey out, particularly without Russian documents.
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