Evacuated Ukrainians from Russian-occupied Oleshky arrive in Belarus

What the report says

Residents evacuated from the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky have reached Belarus and are expected to return to Ukrainian-controlled territory later on Saturday, according to officials cited by BBC World News. The evacuation took place on Friday during a temporary local ceasefire in the Kherson region, which allowed a road to be cleared and buses to leave the town. BBC said the operation involved 25 buses with capacity for about 750 people, plus ambulances for those with limited mobility.

The article says the evacuees travelled first through Russian-held territory, then to the Russian city of Anapa, before flying to Gomel in Belarus. Belarusian state media reported the final plane arrived in Gomel on Saturday morning, and a senior Ukrainian official, David Arakhamia, said the group would be back in Ukraine within hours. The BBC also reported that some residents chose not to leave Oleshky, where the war has left widespread destruction and basic services such as gas, electricity and running water are lacking.

BBC said the ceasefire was brokered with involvement from US First Lady Melania Trump and was due to remain in place until the end of Sunday 1 November. The arrangement also involved Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova. The piece highlights the unusual coordination required to move civilians out of a front-line area close to Ukrainian military positions, underscoring both the humanitarian need and the political sensitivity of any contact across the war’s dividing lines.