Ukrainian authorities withheld the evacuation headcount even after residents from Russian-occupied Oleshky reached Ukrainian-controlled territory on Oct. 31, with organizers citing safety concerns, the Associated Press reported.
The evacuees traveled by bus and plane through Russia and Belarus, AP reported. Ukrainian organizers withheld the crossing location. Organizers said limiting those details was intended to protect residents who stayed in Oleshky and keep later humanitarian missions safe.
The crossing followed the group’s arrival in Belarus, reported earlier by EconoTimes.
The White House credited U.S. first lady Melania Trump with helping secure the arrangement. Russia and Ukraine agreed to temporarily halt military action in Oleshky so aid could enter and civilians could leave, the administration said.
Ukraine’s Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said organizers prepared 25 buses, with capacity for up to 750 passengers. Ambulances were also arranged for people with limited mobility. The 750 figure describes transport capacity, not a confirmed number of evacuees.
On Oct. 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the mission was continuing and wrote, “People are on their way to Ukraine.”
The White House estimated that 1,700 to 2,000 people, including about 50 children, remained in Oleshky, in Ukraine’s Kherson region. It said the city had not had a formal population count since 2022 and contrasted the current estimate with about 24,000 residents before the war. The administration described a front-line city with mined roads and limited electricity. It said residents needed medical care, medicine, food and clean water.
Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia said in a social-media post that the ceasefire was scheduled to run until 3:59 p.m. ET (20:59 UTC) Sunday, Nov. 1.
