A Four-Hour Corridor Through Mined Territory
Twenty-five buses carrying up to 750 people left the town of Oleshky, offering a path to safety. A temporary ceasefire cleared mines from a vital exit route, while ambulances stood ready to transport residents with limited mobility. The operational window lasted just four hours before the convoy departed, operating under an agreement scheduled to hold until the end of Sunday, 1 November.
Generational Resistance Amid Total Devastation
Oleshky remains a landscape of widespread destruction marked by a lack of gas, electricity, and running water. Yet when the corridor opened, several hundred residents refused to leave. Relatives speaking to the BBC explained that many members of the older generation simply could not bring themselves to abandon their homes.
❗️Humanitarian Mission to Oleshky: Route Demining UnderwayTogether with Yana Lantratova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, we continue preparations for a humanitarian mission to assist the civilian population of Oleshky.This effort is being carried out… pic.twitter.com/2g4eW2u1Dp
Lubinets stated on Friday morning that those who decided to stay would still receive all necessary humanitarian assistance. Lubinets travelled to Oleshky alongside his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, setting off from Armiansk, in the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. It marks the first time a Ukrainian official has visited Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine since the outbreak of the war.
A Rare Joint Mission Stokes Internal Criticism
The collaboration between Lubinets and Lantratova drew immediate internal criticism. Domestic detractors in Ukraine reacted with dismay upon seeing him appear next to an envoy of the occupying Russian state, which is responsible for the deaths of numerous local inhabitants and the extreme hardship endured by everyone else remaining.
On the Russian side, authorities announced on Thursday that dozens of tonnes of aid had been prepared for residents opting to stay behind. This relief package includes food, medicine, hygiene products, and fuel designated for generators.
Broader Strikes and Upcoming Abu Dhabi Talks
Even as the localized ceasefire in Oleshky took effect, military operations across the broader region persisted unabated. According to Zelensky, Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s power grid by striking thermal power plants, electricity substations, and gas facilities. In response, the Ukrainian military stated it struck a major Russian producer of missile fuel located in the Rostov region.
Zelensky praised Lubinets and his team for their efforts in moving evacuees to safety and highlighted the true humanitarian catastrophe in Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by Russia. Meanwhile, broader diplomatic efforts are set to resume shortly. Negotiators representing Ukraine, Russia, and the US are scheduled to convene in Abu Dhabi in early November to restart ceasefire talks following a suspension earlier this year driven by the Iran war.
