Some people from Oleshky reached Ukrainian-held territory and embraced family members on Oct. 31, while others remained in the Russian-occupied city without utilities as a six-day pause neared its end, Al Jazeera reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the evacuees entered Ukraine through the Chernihiv region and would receive assistance. In a post on X, he thanked the United States and first lady Melania Trump for helping mediate the operation and called for further steps toward de-escalation and peace.
Al Jazeera said hot meals, tea and medical care were available in military tents for the arrivals. The outlet reported that some residents still in Oleshky lacked gas, electricity and running water. Ukrainian officials had not given exact totals for those evacuated or those who remained, according to the report. EconoTimes previously covered the group's arrival in Ukrainian-held territory during the ceasefire.
Officials in Russia and Ukraine described the local pause as holding since Tuesday. They said it allowed food and medicine to reach Oleshky again; mine-clearing work also took place on roads during the truce. Al Jazeera said no comparable humanitarian pause had taken place in more than four years. The outlet described it as the longest town-level break in fighting since Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Al Jazeera linked Oleshky's supply problems to fighting and drone activity. It also cited residents who said food deliveries stopped in May, leaving hundreds facing starvation. An elderly evacuee using a wheelchair told Reuters he had lost 20 kg over the previous year and needed hospital treatment because of weakness, Al Jazeera reported.
Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova wrote on Telegram that she would continue coordinating with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets, to assist residents who stayed. She said they had agreed to organize regular humanitarian missions. Al Jazeera said the truce was scheduled to expire Sunday, Nov. 1.
