Oleshky residents board evacuation buses under new ceasefire

Residents of the Russian-held town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine began boarding buses on Friday to evacuate the area. The movement of people marks the first joint relief operation between the two sides in more than four years of conflict. An aid convoy arrived in the town under a local ceasefire that has held for more than three days.

The ceasefire in Oleshky and the Kherson region took effect early on Tuesday. It was brokered by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. This pause in fighting has allowed for the delivery of food, hygiene products, medical supplies, and fuel to the town. The last time a ceasefire held for such a duration across this stretch of the front line was in 2022, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights commissioner.

Yana Lantratova, the Russian human rights commissioner, confirmed that groups of people were boarding evacuation buses. Some residents are traveling to Russia while others are headed to Ukraine. It remains unclear how many people are in each group or how many residents have chosen to stay behind. A senior Ukrainian lawmaker also confirmed that evacuations had started on Friday.

Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyi addressed the Ukrainian parliament on Friday regarding the logistics of the move. He stated that residents heading to Ukraine would travel through Russia to Belarus before entering the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. News agency Interfax Ukraine reported these details following his address.

Demining operations preceded the arrival of the aid convoy. Lantratova said a sapper and one other person were killed during these operations. She reported that 25 buses were on hand for the evacuation. Special arrangements were made for bedridden individuals, and 50 medical personnel were present on the ground. A bus equipped with pet cages was available for residents who wished to bring their animals.

Lubinets appeared side by side with Lantratova to discuss the aid distribution. He stated that everyone in need would receive assistance. He noted an agreement was reached to help citizens travel to Ukraine or the Russian Federation. In footage posted by Lubinets, residents greeted the Ukrainian delegation with visible emotion.

Oleshky sits on the Dnipro River opposite the city of Kherson. Russian troops seized the town in the days following their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The area suffered extensive damage and severe flooding after the Kakhovka dam upstream was destroyed in 2023. Residents described surviving on limited food, such as a daily cup of rice or buckwheat, while traveling along mine-strewn roads to find supplies.

Attacks continued in other parts of the country despite the local pause in Oleshky. Russian strikes overnight targeted seven regions, the capital Kyiv, and the city of Dnipro. Russia said it shot down 1,043 Ukrainian drones over its regions overnight. A Russian drone strike on Thursday killed at least 15 people on a crowded rail platform in Dnipro.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was a high degree of coordination between Lantratova and Lubinets. U.S.-mediated peace talks are scheduled to resume next month in Abu Dhabi. This will be the first time talks have taken place there since February. U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to end the conflict, while Russia hopes he will pressure Kyiv to accept terms such as full Russian control of the Donbas region. Kyiv aims to secure continued U.S. intelligence sharing, access to the Starshield communications system, and the flow of European-bought U.S. military hardware.

The joint relief operation has proceeded as planned with supplies delivered and evacuations initiated. The next major step in the diplomatic process is the resumption of peace talks in Abu Dhabi next month. The local ceasefire in Oleshky has held for more than three days, allowing the logistical coordination of buses and medical personnel to continue on the ground.