All residents of occupied Oleshky in Kherson Region who wanted to travel to Ukraine-controlled territory were able to do so. Humanitarian aid was also delivered to those who decided to stay in the city.
This was stated by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.
According to the Ombudsman, separate transport was arranged to carry large suitcases. Belongings were labelled with tags, and staff from the Ukrainian and Russian sides monitored to ensure there was enough space on the buses for everyone who wished to travel. The opportunity to leave was also provided to people who had not registered in advance.
"People do not take large suitcases onto the buses; separate transport is provided for that. People handed them in and received tags. Everything works perfectly. Data is recorded very quickly. There are staff both from the Russian structure and my staff who monitor whether there is enough space for everyone. When people arrived who had not signed up, they were also given the opportunity," Lubinets said.
The Ombudsman also reported that the ceasefire has now been in place for more than 87 hours. The Ukrainian delegation is returning home.
Lubinets proposed making humanitarian missions coordinated by the US First Lady Melania Trump regular. He said the experience of the operation in Oleshky and the joint work with Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, showed that such arrangements make it possible to provide real help to people.
The Ombudsman thanked the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his personal involvement, support and assistance in organising the humanitarian mission, as well as the Defence Forces of Ukraine and all services for their coordinated work.
Separately, Lubinets expressed gratitude to Melania Trump, thanks to whom, he said, many people were saved. He hopes that with her mediation it will be possible to scale up humanitarian operations to rescue civilians, return people and protect their lives.
In the Ombudsman’s view, such practical steps can not only save people but also create the preconditions for talks on a lasting peace.
Earlier, Arakhamia said that the Ukrainian delegation, together with residents evacuated from Oleshky, had set off for the Russian city of Anapa. From there, they will travel by plane to Belarus and then go by bus to Ukrainian territory.
Humanitarian Operation in Oleshky
Since 27 October, a humanitarian ceasefire has been established in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding area. The agreement was reached through the mediation of the US First Lady, Melania Trump.
An evacuation of civilians was planned in Oleshky. The Russian side planned to take everyone to territory under its control, but it was claimed that Ukrainians who wanted to go to free Ukrainian territory would be able to do so later via Belarus. At first there was no official confirmation of this plan — excerpts of the agreement were published by Fox News. Later, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi confirmed that citizens would travel via Belarus.
The ceasefire is due to last until 22:59 on 1 November. No violations of the agreement were recorded.
On 29 October, the Ukrainian delegation travelled to Oleshky. On the morning of 30 October, it arrived with humanitarian aid. Russians and representatives of Belarus also arrived. Ukraine asked for the evacuation process to be monitored by the American side.
Oleshky had been under Russian occupation for years, and this year the enemy worsened the humanitarian situation there so severely that people were starving. Ukraine dropped food and essential goods by drone several times. There is information that the occupiers confiscated them.
- More on this: “We will, of course, survive… or maybe not”. What is happening in occupied Oleshky.