Evacuated Ukrainians from Russian-occupied Oleshky arrive in Belarus

Residents escaping Oleshky were transported out during a temporary ceasefire and taken through Russian-controlled territory. They eventually reached Gomel, Belarus, where their return to Ukraine was being arranged. This mattered because Oleshky had suffered widespread destruction and lacked gas, electricity, and running water.

The evacuation began on Friday. A convoy of 25 buses carried residents from the city, alongside ambulances for people with limited mobility. The evacuees then travelled to the Russian city of Anapa and flew to Gomel. Four planes landed there on Saturday morning, according to Belarusian state media and David Arakhamia.

A bus convoy later left Gomel airport for the Ukrainian border. Arakhamia said the evacuees and the Ukrainian delegation would be on Ukrainian territory within hours. The operation depended on cooperation across opposing sides and on the ceasefire remaining in force through Sunday 1 November.

A humanitarian ceasefire is a temporary pause in fighting arranged to reduce danger for civilians. It can create space for evacuation, medical help, and aid deliveries. In Oleshky, the pause mattered because residents were trapped in a devastated city near active military positions.

The ceasefire took effect across the frontline region of Kherson on Tuesday. It allowed the road out of Oleshky to be demined, making travel possible. Residents then had four hours to leave before 25 buses departed on Friday afternoon. Ambulances joined the convoy for people with limited mobility.

The pause was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump and required cooperation between Ukrainian and Russian officials. It was set to remain in place until the end of Sunday 1 November. Without that temporary arrangement, the road and evacuation convoy would have faced the dangers of ongoing fighting and mines.

The evacuation plan involved 25 buses with space for 750 people. That figure describes the convoy’s capacity, not a confirmed final count of passengers. The article does not state exactly how many residents boarded, so the safest answer is that up to 750 people could be carried.

Residents had a four-hour window to leave on Friday afternoon. The bus convoy travelled with ambulances for people with limited mobility. After moving through Russian-occupied territory and Anapa, the evacuees flew onward to Gomel, Belarus. Four planes landed there on Saturday morning.

Several hundred people decided to stay in Oleshky. They remained despite widespread devastation and the loss of gas, electricity, and running water. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman said those who stayed would receive necessary humanitarian assistance, while Russia said it had prepared food, medicine, hygiene products, and generator fuel.

Oleshky was Russian-occupied, while Ukrainian military positions were only 5km away. That location left evacuees between opposing forces and made a direct Ukrainian route unavailable or unsafe. The article reports that they first had to travel into Russian-occupied territory.

From Oleshky, the evacuees continued to the southern Russian city of Anapa. They then boarded planes to Gomel in Belarus. This route formed the practical evacuation corridor agreed by officials on opposing sides. The road out of Oleshky was first demined under the humanitarian ceasefire.

The journey shows how occupation and frontlines shaped civilian movement. People leaving their own city had to pass through territory controlled by the occupying side before reaching a third country. From Gomel, a bus convoy was heading toward the Ukrainian border, and the evacuees were expected to return to Ukraine later Saturday.

For people leaving Oleshky, the ceasefire created a temporary path to safety. It allowed the road to be demined and protected the evacuation convoy from fighting during the departure window. The wider Kherson frontline region experienced its first few days of peace in four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

On Friday, 25 buses and ambulances left after residents were given four hours to depart. The evacuees travelled through occupied territory, reached Anapa, flew to Gomel, and then began a bus journey toward Ukraine. Their return was expected later on Saturday.

Those who remained faced a devastated city without gas, electricity, or running water. Ukraine’s ombudsman promised necessary humanitarian assistance. Russia said it had prepared dozens of tonnes of food, medicine, hygiene products, and fuel for generators. The ceasefire was due to end Sunday, so continued help depended on conditions after the pause.

The evacuation required several actors to cooperate despite the war. Ukraine sent officials and a delegation, arranged the return journey, and promised humanitarian help for people who stayed. Belarus provided Gomel as the arrival point before the evacuees continued toward Ukraine.

US First Lady Melania Trump brokered the local ceasefire. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova travelled together to Oleshky. Their cooperation helped establish the route, demining, and evacuation window. David Arakhamia reported the planes’ arrival and the expected return to Ukrainian territory.

Russia controlled Oleshky and the territory through which evacuees travelled. It also said it had prepared aid for residents who remained. The arrangement was politically difficult: some Ukrainians criticized Lubinets for appearing beside a representative of the occupying power. He said he acted to save lives.

A city under military occupation is a place controlled by a foreign armed force rather than its own government. The occupying force can control roads, borders, security, and access to essential services. Civilians may have limited freedom to leave, receive aid, or contact their own authorities.

Oleshky illustrates these difficulties. Ukrainian military positions were only 5km away, yet residents had to travel through Russian-occupied territory. The road also needed demining before the convoy could pass. Evacuees then went to Anapa in southern Russia and flew to Gomel, Belarus, instead of taking a direct route into Ukraine.

Occupation also made humanitarian work politically sensitive. Lubinets and Lantratova had to cooperate to save lives, while some Ukrainians objected to the visible partnership. Residents who stayed depended on promised aid from Ukraine and Russia. Movement and relief therefore relied on temporary agreements between sides at war.