Four flights carry Oleshky evacuees out of Russian-held Kherson
After a local truce, civilians left the occupied city for Belarus and are now traveling overland into Ukrainian-held territory.
The fourth and last plane carrying residents evacuated from Oleshky, a city Russia occupies in the Kherson region, landed in Gomel, Belarus, on Saturday. Within hours, every Ukrainian citizen who left will be on Ukrainian territory with the negotiating delegation, said David Arakhamia, a member of Kyiv's team. From Gomel, the journey continues by bus.
A local truce made the departure possible. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, who led the mission, thanked the Defense Forces and U.S. first lady Melania Trump for the mediation and urged both sides to keep the guns silent. The delegation reached the area through Anapa, in Russia, and coordinated the operation with Russia's human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova.
On Friday, Lubinets said 25 buses were ready for 750 people, along with ambulances for those who cannot walk, with priority for older adults and people with disabilities.
Kyiv has not said how many people got out or where they crossed.
Oleshky sits on the left bank of the Dnipro River and has been under Russian occupation since 2022. It had been cut off for weeks, without food or medicine. Ukraine had pressed for months for an evacuation backed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Russia had not signaled it was willing. This is the first truce of its kind in the area.
For Mexico, the direct effect is small. What matters is whether local deals like this can be repeated elsewhere along the front, with routes that run through Russian and Belarusian territory.
Those who chose to stay in Oleshky will receive humanitarian aid, Lubinets said.
