The historic four-hour frontline truce enabled a 25-bus convoy, accompanied by ambulances for individuals with limited mobility, to safely evacuate hundreds of trapped residents. The evacuees were transported through Crimea to Anapa, Russia, before three aircraft flew them to Gomel, Belarus, on Saturday. Belarusian state media reported that these citizens will soon re-enter Ukrainian territory via a designated border crossing. Both Russian and Ukrainian officials confirmed that the complex transit operation concluded without incident.
Key points
Humanitarian routes out of the devastated town were cleared of landmines to ensure the sa…: Humanitarian routes out of the devastated town were cleared of landmines to ensure the safe passage of starving residents.
Evacuated citizens who wish to return to Ukraine are scheduled to continue their journey…: Evacuated citizens who wish to return to Ukraine are scheduled to continue their journey across a land border crossing.
Russian and Ukrainian human rights ombudsmen have jointly appealed to establish similar h…: Russian and Ukrainian human rights ombudsmen have jointly appealed to establish similar humanitarian relief missions on a regular basis.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Hundreds of residents have been evacuated from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky following a humanitarian ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, with three planes carrying evacuees landing at an airport in Belarus on Saturday, according to media reports.
The residents, who wished to return to Ukraine, were taken by bus through the Crimean peninsula to the Russian town of Anapa before being flown to Gomel in Belarus. They will travel onwards to Ukraine through a border crossing, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported, according to Reuters.
The evacuation took place on Friday as part of a joint relief operation involving the opposing sides, marking the first operation of its kind in four years and eight months of the war. Residents were reportedly starving and exhausted.
According to the BBC, Russian and Ukrainian authorities confirmed that hundreds of people had been evacuated from the devastated town. The operation was carried out during a temporary ceasefire that allowed the road out of Oleshky to be cleared of landmines.
A ceasefire covering the entire frontline region of Kherson had been…
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