By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Ukrainian civilians evacuated from the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory Saturday, Oct. 31, following a humanitarian operation made possible by a temporary ceasefire negotiated with assistance from U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the evacuees had arrived in Ukraine after traveling through Russian-controlled territory, Crimea and Belarus. The operation allowed hundreds of residents to leave a devastated frontline town where food shortages, damaged infrastructure and continuing military activity had created severe humanitarian conditions.
In a statement published on Telegram, Zelenskyy thanked the United States and Melania Trump for their mediation and called for additional diplomatic efforts to reduce hostilities.
“When the world pays attention, people are rescued. Further steps toward de-escalation and real progress toward peace are also needed,” Zelenskyy wrote.
The Ukrainian president also thanked humanitarian organizations, journalists, political leaders and other individuals who had drawn international attention to conditions in Oleshky.
According to Reuters’ reporting on the evacuation, four aircraft carrying residents from Oleshky landed Saturday in Gomel, Belarus, before the evacuees continued toward the Ukrainian border.
David Arakhamia, a senior Ukrainian peace negotiator and close ally of Zelenskyy, confirmed that the final aircraft had arrived in Belarus.
“The last, fourth plane landed in Gomel,” Arakhamia said.
“In a few hours, all Ukrainian citizens evacuated from Oleshky together with a Ukrainian delegation will be on Ukrainian territory.”
Belarusian state news agency Belta subsequently reported that buses transporting the residents departed Gomel airport for the border crossing.
The evacuees eventually entered Ukraine through the northern Chernihiv region, where relatives, medical personnel, humanitarian organizations and government representatives were waiting to assist them.
According to The Kyiv Independent’s reporting from the border, the journey took approximately 19 hours and ended with emotional reunions between returning residents and family members.
Medical personnel were stationed at the crossing to provide immediate assistance to evacuees who had endured months of deteriorating living conditions.
Zelenskyy said the government would provide the returning civilians with necessary assistance and coordinate efforts to help them resettle.
The evacuation followed a humanitarian ceasefire negotiated specifically for Oleshky, a town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region that has remained under Russian control since the early stages of the war.
The agreement allowed humanitarian convoys to enter the town, deliver food and medical supplies, clear dangerous roads and transport residents who wished to leave.
According to a White House announcement issued Oct. 23, Melania Trump helped secure the arrangement through negotiations involving Russian and Ukrainian authorities.
The White House said both governments agreed to temporarily suspend military operations in the immediate area so humanitarian personnel could enter and civilians could depart through an established evacuation corridor.
Melania Trump described the humanitarian conditions as critical.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water,” she said.
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.”
The agreement involved Ukrainian and Russian humanitarian representatives, including Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets and Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova.
Their cooperation enabled an unusual joint humanitarian operation between the two countries despite the continuing war.
On Friday, approximately 25 buses and nine ambulances entered Oleshky to transport residents out of the town. Medical workers accompanied the convoy, while humanitarian personnel distributed food, medicine and other essential supplies.
More than 750 people were evacuated, according to Ukrainian reporting, although some residents chose to travel into Russia rather than return to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Those heading to Ukraine first traveled by bus through Crimea to Anapa in southern Russia.
From Anapa, the evacuees boarded aircraft bound for Belarus, where they continued by bus to the Ukrainian border.
The indirect route was necessary because Oleshky lies only a few miles from the active frontline, making direct passage into Ukrainian-held territory dangerous.
The town sits on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, opposite Ukrainian-controlled areas of the Kherson region.
Years of fighting have damaged roads, bridges and public utilities, while the continued use of drones and artillery has complicated efforts to deliver supplies.
The area has also been affected by mines and unexploded ordnance, creating additional risks for civilians and humanitarian workers.
According to Reuters’ earlier reporting on the relief operation, local residents experienced severe shortages after regular food deliveries were disrupted.
Some residents said deliveries had effectively stopped in May, leaving vulnerable people struggling to obtain basic necessities.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Oleshky had approximately 24,000 residents. Ukrainian officials estimated that only about 1,700 remained before the latest evacuation, many of them elderly or suffering from medical conditions.
The ceasefire enabled the first large-scale joint relief operation of its kind in the town since the war began.
Ukrainian and Russian officials reported that the localized pause in hostilities had remained in effect without violations during preparations and the evacuation itself.
The operation also involved efforts to clear mines from roads and establish safe passage for the humanitarian convoy.
Pope Leo XIV was involved in diplomatic efforts supporting the arrangement, according to reporting by The Moscow Times.
The Vatican’s participation added another channel of communication to negotiations already involving American, Ukrainian and Russian representatives.
The first lady’s role also drew public acknowledgment from both sides.
Russian and Ukrainian humanitarian officials appeared together during Friday’s evacuation operation and praised the agreement for allowing essential supplies to reach residents.
Lantratova said the operation proceeded without major incidents and described cooperation between the participating teams as effective.
She and Lubinets also expressed interest in continuing humanitarian missions under the first lady’s coordination.
According to BBC reporting on Friday’s evacuation, Melania Trump said the convoy’s arrangements, including its designated route into and out of Oleshky, had been established through mutual agreement between Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
Russian officials nevertheless cautioned that the localized ceasefire should not be interpreted as a broader agreement to end the war.
Military operations continued elsewhere in Ukraine, and the Kremlin described the humanitarian cooperation as a separate arrangement rather than evidence of progress toward a comprehensive peace settlement.
The evacuation came amid continuing diplomatic discussions concerning possible steps toward de-escalation, including international mediation efforts and proposals for additional humanitarian exchanges.
The United States has sought to encourage negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, while both governments maintain disagreements over territory, security arrangements and the conditions necessary for a lasting ceasefire.
Ukraine has repeatedly called for the return of civilians displaced or trapped by Russian occupation, including residents of frontline communities unable to leave because of military activity.
The Oleshky operation provides a model for additional humanitarian evacuations, although any expansion would require further agreements concerning safe passage, security guarantees and access to Russian-controlled territory.
For residents who reached Ukraine Saturday, the immediate priority is medical care, temporary housing and assistance after years of living under occupation.
Zelenskyy said the government would work with regional and local authorities to ensure that returning civilians receive appropriate support.
The arrival of the evacuees marked the completion of a coordinated humanitarian mission involving Ukraine, Russia, the United States and international mediators, while the wider conflict and negotiations over a lasting peace remain unresolved.
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