KYIV.- Starved and exhausted residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky crossed into Ukraine on Saturday, completing a major evacuation carried out under the first humanitarian truce of its kind in more than four years of war.
The six-day ceasefire covering the town was reached with mediation by United States First Lady Melania Trump and help from Pope Leo XIV, who called Russian President Vladimir Putin to urge a pause so civilians could leave. It is the longest local pause in fighting anywhere on the front line since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, and it is due to end on Sunday evening.
"Ukrainian citizens from Oleshky have crossed the Ukrainian border in the Chernihiv region. All of them will receive the assistance they need," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, thanking the United States and the first lady for mediating.
Evacuees wrapped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags stepped off buses at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border and reunited with family members. To reach Ukrainian-controlled territory, residents first traveled by bus through Crimea and the Russian city of Anapa, then flew to Belarus before continuing by bus to the border, where tents, hot food, tea and medical care awaited them.
Russian and Ukrainian officials said the ceasefire in Oleshky has held since Tuesday, allowing them to clear mines from the roads and bring food, medicines and other supplies into the town again. Ukrainian and Russian officials visited the city together on Friday, delivering aid and marshalling those who wanted to leave, in a rare show of cooperation between the warring sides.
Some residents decided to remain in Oleshky despite the ongoing lack of gas, electricity and running water. The town had a pre-war population of about 24,000, which had fallen to an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 before the evacuation. Ukrainian officials have not said exactly how many residents were evacuated or how many remained.
Those who left described months of hunger, constant drone attacks and roads under fire. "We are coming from hell," said Oleksandr Styopin, 75, a retired electrical engineer, describing Oleshky as "a kill zone."
The mission was negotiated by Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova, who pledged to keep working with her Ukrainian counterpart to help those who stayed.
Fuentes: Al Jazeera, 1 de noviembre de 2026; Dawn, 1 de noviembre de 2026; NHK World-Japan, 1 de noviembre de 2026; Times Now News, 1 de noviembre de 2026.