A humanitarian effort supported by a localized truce entered Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region as evacuees left by bus and aid convoys delivered food and medicine.
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Evacuees left Russian-occupied Oleshky by bus convoy on Friday, the fourth day of a localized truce in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, as officials said a humanitarian mission entered the devastated city.
Officials estimated about 2,000 remaining residents were offered a choice: travel to Ukrainian- or Russian-held territory, or stay in Oleshky with replenished food and medical supplies.
Residents traveling to Ukrainian-held territory were reported by Kyiv to be travelling to the city of Anapa in southern Russia, then flying to Belarus before crossing the border into northern Ukraine. The shortest route from Oleshky to Anapa was described as about 450 kilometres through Russian-held Crimea.
Russia’s ombudswoman and a lead representative on the mission, Yana Lantratova, said buses also transported residents who wanted to live in Russia. Russia and Ukraine did not specify how many people left the city, but a statement earlier Friday said those who wished to leave Oleshky would have the opportunity to do so safely, while those who stayed would receive humanitarian support.
After an effort to remove Russian mines from roads in and out of Oleshky, an aid convoy of 25 buses, along with some ambulances and trucks, arrived earlier Friday to deliver food and medicine. Officials from both sides worked together in the joint humanitarian effort, providing what was described as a brief respite.
The truce was expected to continue through Sunday evening.
The localized ceasefire came alongside fighting elsewhere. Russia’s Defence Ministry said air defences downed more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched ballistic and other missiles, along with scores of drones.
Ukraine’s emergency services said a Russian drone attack on the town of Shostka in the Sumy region left one woman dead and eight others injured. The agency said rescue efforts were hampered by repeated air raid alerts.
In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of stepping up attacks intended to make ordinary Ukrainians suffer during another winter, while also saying the Russians had not taken steps toward de-escalation in the energy sector and continued strikes on cities. His comments did not mention the aid mission.
Zelenskyy’s office also announced sanctions on individuals and entities involved in developing Russia’s Rassvet satellite communications system, which Kyiv says is being scaled up for military purposes.
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