Evacuees Reunite with Families at Ukrainian-Belarusian Border After Major Rescue Operation

A major rescue operation enabled evacuees from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky to cross into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday, marking the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago. The evacuees, wrapped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags, stepped off buses at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border where they were reunited with family members.

Volunteers with hand-drawn welcome signs handed out coffee to the weary travelers, who had journeyed by bus and plane through Russia and Belarus. Residents of nearby villages lined the highway to greet the convoy, waving flags and flashlights. Tetiana Leonidivna, 71, thanked the Ukrainian soldiers who helped her escape Oleshky, saying through tears, "We love them, we love them. We know that they are protecting us. And a deep bow to them, and a deep bow to their parents, for having such children. I am proud, I am simply proud."

The cease-fire in Ukraine's southern Kherson region began early Tuesday and was expected to continue through Sunday evening. The White House has said US first lady Melania Trump helped to broker the localized deal, while Pope Leo XIV also pressed Russian and Ukrainian leaders to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.

Relatives and volunteers with the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and World Central Kitchen welcomed the evacuees as they arrived at the border, ready to provide aid and food, including for their pets. Holding a cigarette between shaking fingers, 48-year-old Ivan Yevhenovych described his last few months in Oleshky. "It was very difficult. There were a lot of drones; it was hard to move around the streets," he said. "Since spring, there hasn't really been any staple food left. People had a little bit of their own reserves. We are thrifty people." He said people were being killed by landmines or drone strikes every day.