Since the start of 2026, around 100 children have been rescued from temporarily occupied Oleshky in Kherson region and surrounding areas. Save Ukraine reported this in a comment to Suspilne.
Save Ukraine’s chief lawyer, Myroslava Kharchenko, said that after Oleshky was effectively cut off due to roads being mined, four children were evacuated from the city.
“The most recent evacuation of children from Oleshky took place on 19 September 2026. By our estimates, around 30 children currently remain in Oleshky, although we do not rule out that the figure could be closer to 50. We have information about some of the children, but there is no data on others, because parents, out of fear, are not always ready to report them,” Myroslava Kharchenko said.
According to the organisation, after returning to territory controlled by Ukraine, children often suffer severe physical exhaustion due to prolonged hunger. They therefore require specialised medical support and a carefully managed return to normal nutrition.
“After evacuation to territory controlled by Ukraine, children are accompanied and supported. Our task is to provide children with a safe place to live, help restore documents, arrange the payments and necessary statuses they are entitled to, and provide psychological support,” the organisation said.
Save Ukraine also noted that some children had barely left their own yard or home for years, and some had been living in basements.
Oleshky: Details of the Humanitarian Mission
On 27 October, a ceasefire regime began in Oleshky at 3:00. It will last until 1 November.
US First Lady Melania Trump and her representative were involved in agreeing the terms of the ceasefire, working directly with the leadership of Ukraine and Russia. She did not rule out a personal visit to Ukraine.
On 25 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and Russia had agreed the timing of a ceasefire to carry out a humanitarian mission in Oleshky.
On 27 October, Melania Trump said that the local ceasefire zone between Ukraine and Russia had expanded beyond the occupied city of Oleshky.
At present, around 1,700 people remain trapped in the devastated city of Oleshky in Kherson region, and Russia is trying to turn the settlement into a deadly trap. Ukraine has repeatedly called for safe evacuation and international humanitarian access. Russia is ignoring these calls.
Head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Prokudin said that an extremely difficult humanitarian situation persists not only in occupied Oleshky, but also in dozens of other settlements near the line of contact.