Ukrainians who were taken out of temporarily occupied Oleshky in Kherson Region and the surrounding community have already crossed the state border in Chernihiv Region. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported this.
"A humanitarian operation to rescue people in Oleshky, Kherson Region, has taken place. A ceasefire was established on the Kherson front, and during that time the roads to Oleshky were demined and humanitarian supplies were delivered. [...] As of now, Ukrainian citizens from Oleshky have crossed Ukraine’s border in Chernihiv Region," the President emphasised.
All evacuees will be provided with the necessary assistance.
Zelenskyy stressed the importance of effective work by government agencies and regional and local authorities to help people adapt after evacuation. The President also expressed hope that humanitarian access to Oleshky can be maintained.
Separately, the head of state thanked the American side and US First Lady Melania Trump for mediation, the Defence Forces of Ukraine for ensuring security during the operation, and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his team for carrying out the mission.
"When the world is paying attention, people are saved. Further de-escalation steps and a real move towards peace are needed," Zelenskyy stressed.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also shared details of the humanitarian operation, which involved negotiations, agreeing a ceasefire regime, delivering humanitarian aid directly to Oleshky, and organising the departure of civilians.
According to him, the ceasefire regime will last until 1 November, 22:59. This is the longest ceasefire regime since 2022 that both sides have observed.
The oldest evacuee is 94, the youngest just over a year old. Along with the people, it was also possible to evacuate pets: dogs, cats, a parrot, and even a raccoon.
Lubinets also spoke about the difficult circumstances people were in. In particular, one family had to be rescued from a house destroyed by shelling: because of his health condition, the father could not get down from the eighth floor on his own, as the stairs had been destroyed.
Another evacuated man survived 16 attacks by Russian drones and four missile strikes on his own home.
This morning, four planes carrying evacuated residents of occupied Oleshky in Kherson Region, who wanted to leave for territory controlled by Ukraine, arrived at Gomel Airport in Belarus.
Humanitarian Mission in Oleshky
- Since 27 October, a humanitarian ceasefire regime has been established in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding area. The agreement was reached through the mediation of 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 want to go to free territory of Ukraine would be able to do so later via Belarus. There was initially no official confirmation of this plan — excerpts of the agreement were published by the Fox News channel. Later, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Serhii Koretsky confirmed that citizens would travel via Belarus.
- The ceasefire regime is to last until 22:59 on 1 November. No violations of the agreement were recorded.
- On 29 October, a Ukrainian delegation travelled to Oleshky. On the morning of 30 October, it arrived together with humanitarian aid. Russians and representatives of Belarus also arrived. Ukraine asked for the American side to oversee the evacuation process.
- For the evacuation from Oleshky, 25 buses with 750 seats were prepared, and ambulances are available for people with limited mobility. Those who wish to stay will be provided with humanitarian support.
- 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 several times by drone. There is information that the occupiers seized them.