Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X Saturday morning that residents of Oleshky had crossed into Ukraine from the Chernihiv region. He wrote, “I thank the American side and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for their mediation.”
Zelensky added, “When the world pays attention, people are rescued,” and, “Further steps toward de-escalation and real progress toward peace are also needed.”
Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city on the Dnipro River across from Kherson, had about 24,000 residents before the war. About 2,000 remained in October, including nearly 50 children, according to the Kyiv Independent.
The First Lady said she helped broker a localized ceasefire that took effect this week. “Oleshky is a frontline war city on the brink of disaster,” Melania Trump said, according to the Moscow Times. “All parties have worked around the clock since that moment.”
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, led the delegation. “We are in Oleshky! The Ukrainian delegation has safely reached the city,” he said.
Russia and Ukraine issued similar statements promising that “everyone who wishes to leave Oleshky will have the opportunity to do so safely.” After the evacuees arrived, Lubinets said “the people who have waited so long to be rescued are finally safe,” and called the ceasefire the longest halt in fighting in any area since 2022.
Evacuees described what they left including Liudmyla Burychenko, 39, who said: “Traveling around the city was very dangerous because of the mines,” and “There were drones there flying around. We took shelter in the basement.” Andrii Zhydenko, director of Chernihiv Regional Hospital, where staff waited to help arrivals, called the situation “simply genocide in the 21st century.”
Newsmax journalist Alex Salvi — Newsmax was granted “exclusive access” — counted 11 buses destined for Ukraine and four for Russia.
Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied Kherson Oblast, said residents who chose Ukraine would do so “to reunite with their families.” Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, said on social media that people were boarding buses and that some wanted to go to Russia and others to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Addressing further “de-escalation” and continued talks between Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. negotiators, Zelensky said “the plan is to meet in the first half of November, and as early as possible, of course.”
[NOTE: Russia still demands that Ukraine cede all of Donbas, including land it has not occupied.]