Oleshky Evacuees Arrive in Ukraine

Residents of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory after a six-day local ceasefire enabled their evacuation. The return is a rare humanitarian pause in a war that has seen few such arrangements, and came after mediation involving the United States and the Pope.

The evacuees travelled via Crimea and Russia to Belarus, then continued by bus into Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, where they received food, medical care and other assistance. Ukraine’s ombudsman said those returning ranged from a child just over one to a 94-year-old, but gave no total; before the evacuation, an estimated 1,700 people remained in a town that had 24,000 residents before the war. Some chose to go to Russia or stay in Oleshky, where basic utilities are unavailable, while fighting and drone attacks continued elsewhere.