Oleshky evacuees reach Ukraine and reunite with families as rare humanitarian mission ends

This is the moment Dasha and her sister Liza have waited nearly three years for. After more than 24 hours traveling through Russian-controlled territory and Belarus, their father Misha has finally reached his daughters. He is among hundreds of people evacuated from Oleshky in an unprecedented humanitarian mission negotiated between Ukraine and Russia with the involvement of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo. Before the buses arrived, Dasha and Liza struggled to find the words for what they were feeling. I don't know what to say. The last time she saw her father, she was still just a small child. It was father's birthday. This is I, this is my sister, this is my father, and this is my mom. Liza and her family fled Oleshky themselves, a dangerous route now littered with landmines and under constant threat from drones and shelling. Their father stayed behind to look after the house and their animals. The last time we saw them it was 2024 year and February. Now reunited, their father says he feels whole again. I'm flying. I feel like I'm on another planet. He says he wants to leave the memories of Oleshky behind. No, he's already there. Difficult times are behind us. Now there is only joy. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life. Ukraine's ombudsman hopes the mission's success will pave the way for more humanitarian operations. But the ceasefire is temporary. Hundreds have chosen to remain in Oleshky, where the threat of renewed fighting hangs over them. For Dasha, Liza and their mother and father, however, this is a rare moment of hope in a war approaching its fifth year. Audrey McAlpine, Al Jazeera, Ukraine-Belarus border.