Hundreds of Evacuees Reach Ukrainian-Held Territory After Ceasefire in Oleshky

Hundreds of Ukrainians who fled the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in the southern Kherson region have reached Ukrainian-held territory under a temporary ceasefire, according to reports, with many families reunited after years of separation.

The truce began on Tuesday and is set to run until late Sunday. Humanitarian work during the pause included clearing roads to Oleshky of landmines, delivering aid and deploying buses that carried about 750 people out of the town, which had a pre-war population of roughly 24,000.

Evacuees described severe shortages in the town. Ukrainian authorities said Oleshky had run out of food, electricity, medicine and other essentials by September. Residents told reporters they had subsisted on canned goods and preserved food left in empty apartments, and that movement through the streets had become dangerous because of drone activity.

"It was like I'd escaped from hell," one evacuee, identified as Oleksandr, said, describing how he had avoided going outside and had eaten whatever supplies people had abandoned. Another resident, Ivan Yevhenovych, 48, said staple food had largely disappeared since spring.

The ceasefire was backed by calls from international figures, including Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV, and drew attention to the humanitarian situation in occupied areas of southern Ukraine. In a post on X, Melania Trump said the evacuation showed that "we can raise humanity above war" and appealed for efforts toward a peaceful future.

The arrivals produced emotional scenes as families draped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags were reunited, some after nearly five years apart. Many were separated when Russian forces seized the town at the start of the 2022 invasion. The evacuation is a rare instance of coordinated humanitarian movement in a front-line region where military activity has continued for more than three years.