Oleshky residents arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory

After the evacuation of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, rescued residents have arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory. They had previously been brought to Belarus by military aircraft

After evacuation, Oleschky's residents are back in Ukrainian-controlled territory As of: October 31, 2026 • 4:06 p.m

After the evacuation of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, rescued residents have arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory. They had previously been brought to Belarus by military aircraft.

The relief operation for the residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky has been completed. "As of now, Ukrainian citizens from Oleshky have crossed the Ukrainian border in Chernihiv Oblast," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.

Evacuation of Ukrainian front-line town Oleschky ended tagesschau, Das Erste, October 31, 2026 • 5:00 p.m. The Chernihiv region borders Belarus. The rescued people had previously been brought to the neighboring country in an intermediate stage together with the delegation led by the Ukrainian human rights officer Dmytro Lubinez. Some of those evacuated from the city had traveled to Ukraine and others to Russia, as Ukraine and Russia announced.

People were brought from Oleschky in 25 buses. Some of them are on their way to Ukraine. more

The rescue operation for the civilians took place as part of a ceasefire between Ukraine and the attacking Russia, which was limited to the Kherson region of southern Ukraine.

According to the Russian military, the evacuated residents were initially taken by bus to the Black Sea city of Anapa in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar. Those who wanted to travel on to Ukraine were then flown to Gomel in Belarus on Russian military planes.

The Ukrainian human rights commissioner Lubinets spoke via Telegram in the evening of more than 750 people who had the opportunity to leave the city. 25 buses were made available for this purpose. However, it is still unclear how many residents were actually brought from Oleschky.

Russian media quoted Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova as saying that part of the population was able to travel to Russia "completely unhindered" and others to Ukraine. Those who could not or did not want to leave the city for various reasons were provided with humanitarian aid.

It was the largest joint action by Ukrainians and Russians since the war began in February 2022.

The Ukrainian ombudsman for human rights Lubinez hopes to serve as a role model for other cities. more

Oleshky is located on the banks of the Dnipro River, which is considered the front line in this region. The area is therefore heavily contested. Oleschky has been occupied by Russia since 2022. Before the war began, around 24,000 people lived here; according to media reports, there were recently around 1,500 to 2,000 residents.

A humanitarian catastrophe has developed in Oleschky in recent months. The city was largely cut off from the outside world for months. According to the UN human rights office, the last regular food shipment there was in May. Over the summer, people lived off what they had grown in their gardens, as ARD correspondent Florian Kellermann reports. Now the supplies were largely exhausted.