Evacuees from the devastated city of Oleshky traveled via Russian territory and four flights to Gomel, Belarus, before boarding buses bound for the Ukrainian border. The evacuation utilized a 25-bus convoy, which featured specialized ambulances to safely transport individuals with limited mobility during a strict four-hour departure window. Several hundred residents nevertheless chose to remain in the city despite the total absence of electricity, gas, and running water. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman entered occupied territory for the first time since 2022 to oversee the mission and pledged aid for those staying behind.
Key points
The evacuation successfully relocated vulnerable residents through coordinated air and gr…: The evacuation successfully relocated vulnerable residents through coordinated air and ground transport across multiple international checkpoints.
Severe humanitarian hardships persist for the several hundred citizens who chose to stay…: Severe humanitarian hardships persist for the several hundred citizens who chose to stay behind in heavily damaged Oleshky.
Bilateral coordination between adversarial officials proved essential to establish safe t…: Bilateral coordination between adversarial officials proved essential to establish safe transit corridors and secure aid for remaining civilians.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
Residents evacuated from the devastated Russian-occupied city of Oleshky have arrived in Belarus and are expected back in Ukraine later on Saturday, authorities have said.
They were taken out on Friday during a local ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.
Planes carrying Oleshky residents landed in the city of Gomel on Saturday morning, according to Belarusian state media and a senior Ukrainian official.
"The last, fourth plane landed in Gomel (Belarus). In a few hours, all Ukrainian citizens evacuated from Oleshky, together with the Ukrainian delegation, will be on Ukrainian territory," said David Arakhamia, a key Ukrainian official.
The state-owned Belarusian news agency Belta reported a bus convoy of Oleshky residents had left Gomel airport and was heading towards the Ukrainian border.
A humanitarian ceasefire took force across the frontline region of Kherson on Tuesday, providing the first few days of peace in the area in four years, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The ceasefire allowed the road out of Oleshky to be demined and will remain in place until the end of Sunday…
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