Following a temporary humanitarian ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, hundreds of Ukrainian residents were successfully evacuated from the occupied city of Oleshky. The complex journey required evacuees to travel by a 25-bus convoy through Russian-held territory and southern Russia, fly to Belarus, and finally enter northern Ukraine on Saturday. Those who escaped described surviving on garden weeds and dodging drone strikes while trapped under enemy control since February 2022. Upon arrival at a military facility in Chernihiv, many displaced individuals face total uncertainty, having lost their homes and possessing no family elsewhere in the country.
Key points
Residents endured dire conditions including navigating active minefields and consuming ga…: Residents endured dire conditions including navigating active minefields and consuming garden weeds to survive the occupation.
The high-stakes operation successfully extracted frail and elderly citizens, with some re…: The high-stakes operation successfully extracted frail and elderly citizens, with some requiring transportation on stretchers.
Many arriving evacuees face severe long-term challenges finding shelter and employment af…: Many arriving evacuees face severe long-term challenges finding shelter and employment after suffering the destruction of their homes.
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Warning: This story contains graphic content.
Olha has one word to describe what life has been like in the frontline city of Oleshky over the past few years: "Horror".
Disembarking alongside her from a coach in the Ukrainian region of Chernihiv with their immediate family and dog, her husband Viacheslav put it this way: "We came back from hell."
The couple were among hundreds of residents evacuated from the Russian-occupied city who crossed into northern Ukraine via Belarus on Saturday, many reuniting with loved ones they had not seen for years.
Oleshky, seized by Russia during the first few days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, is trapped on one side by the Dnipro River and on the other side by Russian forces.
Olha and Viacheslav had lived there with their son and daughter, both in their 30s. Even as the shelling around them intensified, they feared that trying to escape could be even more dangerous, with routes mined and subject to drone attack.
As supplies dwindled, the couple said they made an attempt to find food…
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