Oleshky Evacuees Reunite With Families as Six-Day Kherson Ceasefire Ends

The evacuation centred on Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city on the front line in southern Ukraine. Residents had endured severe shortages. One evacuated couple told the BBC they crossed minefields in search of food.

A temporary, local ceasefire opened a route out. The South China Morning Post reported that the pause was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump and limited to the Kherson region. It was not a nationwide halt to the war.

The truce also brought rare quiet to nearby Kherson. On October 29, the BBC described residents getting a glimpse of normal life while fearing the return of fighting.

The rescue operation began on Friday, October 30, according to the Guardian. Leaving Oleshky did not mean a short crossing into Ukrainian-held territory. The route took evacuees through Russia and Belarus.

By Saturday, October 31, residents had reached territory controlled by Ukraine. ARD Tagesschau reported that evacuees had first been taken to Belarus aboard military aircraft. Le Monde described an operation using buses or aircraft and reported that at least 700 residents had been evacuated.

At the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, people stepped off buses and reunited with relatives. Some were wrapped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags, according to Global News. The New York Times described weary civilians arriving after a harrowing 24-hour journey.

Evacuations continued as the deadline approached. On Sunday, November 1, Ukrainian military officials said they had moved 167 people from threatened areas of the southern Kherson region, CNN Brasil reported. That was a separate reported movement from the earlier Oleshky evacuation.

The six-day local ceasefire ended on Sunday night, according to Deutsche Welle. Neither side had announced an extension, the South China Morning Post reported.

Hundreds of Oleshky residents are now out of the occupied city. Le Monde put the number at about 700. The truce offered residents the choice of leaving for territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia, or remaining with fresh supplies, according to Express & Star.

Deutsche Welle reported no violations during the local ceasefire. Earlier coverage carried a dispute: ANSA reported that Moscow accused Kyiv of breaking the truce, while Kyiv denied it and accused Moscow of trying to discredit Ukraine. The supplied reports do not resolve that discrepancy.

The pause did not stop attacks elsewhere in Ukraine. The BBC reported power cuts affecting thousands before the Kherson ceasefire expired, while Al Jazeera reported that Moscow and Kyiv continued strikes outside the ceasefire area. Those attacks should not be confused with confirmed renewed fighting in Kherson.

The immediate concern is what happens to civilians still in the Kherson region now that the pause has ended. AP News reported residents preparing for fighting to return. A Ukrainian military officer, speaking anonymously to NDTV, feared it could be worse than before, a warning rather than a confirmed account of what followed.

Further evacuation announcements will show whether more residents can leave threatened areas after the truce. The latest specific movement in the supplied coverage is the evacuation of 167 people reported by CNN Brasil on November 1; it does not establish a continuing safe route out of Oleshky.