First residents evacuated from occupied Ukrainian town of Oleschky

Ceasefire in the occupied territory Get out of Oleschky by bus As of: October 30, 2026 • 5:49 p.m

Amid a ceasefire, the first residents of Oleshky have left the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city. Ukraine hopes that other cities in the region can also be supplied in a similar way.

The first residents of the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleschky have left the contested area. In the afternoon, an aid convoy left the city with people ready to flee. They should be able to travel to the unoccupied parts of Ukraine or - if they wish - to stay in territory controlled by Russia.

Florian Kellermann, ARD Kiev, on the aid that has started for the Ukrainian front-line town of Oleschky tagesschau24, October 30, 2026 • 2:00 p.m. The first aid deliveries have arrived for the people who want to stay in Oleschky. These primarily include foods such as flour, grain, sugar, cooking oil, canned meat and fish. Hygiene products and fuel for emergency power equipment were also delivered. The central hospital also received medicines such as antibiotics and insulin.

The humanitarian situation in the front-line town of Oleschky is dramatic. Now there is hope for an evacuation. more

A success, said Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, who accompanied the convoy. Neither Ukraine nor Russia broke the ceasefire agreed upon for the evacuation of the city. It is valid until Sunday and is limited to Oleschky and the surrounding area.

The White House said the ceasefire was largely brokered by First Lady Melania Trump. In the past few days, the ceasefire was used to clear the access roads to Oleschky of mines.

In addition to the Ukrainian human rights commissioner Lubinets, the Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova was also present.

The evacuation was part of a joint relief operation and the first of its kind since the start of the war four years and eight months ago. Lubinets said he hoped that the action in Oleshky could become a model for other cities in the region that find themselves in a similar situation. He discussed this with Lantratowa, said Lubinez.

A humanitarian catastrophe had developed there in recent months. The city was largely cut off from the outside world for months. The last food transport there took place in May. Over the summer, people lived on what they grew in their gardens, reports ARD correspondent Kellermann. But these supplies have now run out. "People were already starving." It was high time for help, said Kellermann.

Elsewhere, Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine with undiminished severity during the local ceasefire, most recently, for example, on the capital Kiev and the train station in Dnipro. Numerous people were killed.

This topic in the program: tagesschau24 | News | Oct 30, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. Das Erste | daily news | Oct 30, 2026 | 4:00 p.m.NDR Info | News | Oct 30, 2026 | 1:37 p.m. | 5:12 p.m. | 6:41 p.m