Ukraine and Russia Open Oleshky Evacuation Route Under Ceasefire

Evacuation from Oleshky began Friday under a ceasefire that has held across the Kherson region since Tuesday.

Russian and Ukrainian authorities both confirmed the operation was under way. The pause in fighting allowed the road leading out of the Russian-occupied city to be cleared of mines. A convoy of 25 buses was assigned to move as many as 750 people before 14:00 local time, with ambulances available for residents who have limited mobility. The window for departure ran four hours.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said everyone who wanted out of Oleshky would get the chance to leave safely, and added that residents who chose to stay would receive humanitarian assistance. Several hundred people have decided not to go, according to officials, despite the lack of gas, electricity and running water in the town. Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, traveled to Oleshky together on Friday. Lantratova posted video from the town showing residents sorting themselves into two groups, one bound for Russian-controlled territory and one for Ukraine.

The route out runs east first. Ukrainian-held territory lies 5km from Oleshky, but evacuees must travel deeper into Russian-occupied ground before reaching Anapa, a southern Russian city. From there, a Russian government plane carries them to Gomel in Belarus, followed by a drive across the border into Ukraine's Chernihiv region. Other residents are expected to stay in Russian-controlled territory.

Lubinets, in video posted to his own account, met residents in tears and said the problem was that many people are staying. He said he was told it was their choice and that he would do everything possible for humanitarian aid to arrive. Russia said Thursday it had staged dozens of tonnes of supplies for those who do not leave, covering food, medicine, hygiene products and generator fuel.

One Oleshky resident told the BBC she decided against leaving because they would not take her animals. Olena, who lives in Kyiv, said her grandmother and extended family in Oleshky are also remaining. She said her grandmother's sister died there last winter after stepping on a landmine under snow, and that residents move the wounded and the dead to the hospital in garden wheelbarrows. The ceasefire runs through the end of Sunday, November 1.

Lubinets and Lantratova traveled to Oleshky together on Friday. Lantratova posted video showing residents forming two groups, one for Russian-controlled territory and one for Ukraine. Russian authorities said Thursday they had prepared dozens of tonnes of aid for people who remain, including food, medicine, hygiene products and fuel for generators. The ceasefire is scheduled to hold through the end of Sunday, November 1.