Residents trapped inside the Russian-occupied city of Olechky in southern Ukraine began evacuating on Friday toward Ukrainian-controlled territory, taking advantage of a localized ceasefire that entered its fourth day, according to reports from fr.euronews.com.
For weeks, the remaining population in Olechky faced a severe humanitarian crisis. People struggled against acute shortages of medicine, water, and food, with some residents forced to hunt pigeons to survive, as reported by ici.radio-canada.ca. The constant presence of drones from both sides and the mining of roads made it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid before the ceasefire was announced. Kiev and Moscow had previously accused each other of preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the city captured in 2022 by the Russian army.
A Four-Day Ceasefire in Kherson
This localized truce is the longest since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Several other partial ceasefires, notably on the occasion of Orthodox Easter, had been marked by violations. The Kremlin had estimated that this truce could serve as a precedent for other humanitarian operations on the front.
A convoy consisting of 25 buses and several ambulances arrived in the shattered city carrying food and medical supplies. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia outlined the complex return route for evacuees. The delegation and departing residents traveled toward Anapa in southern Russia, from where they planned to board flights to Belarus before completing the final leg home to northern Ukraine by bus. Although Ukrainian-controlled territories are located only a few kilometers away from Olechky across the Dnipro River, evacuees would have to travel hundreds of kilometers through Russia and Belarus before reaching northern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian public television, while the exact evacuation route was not disclosed.
Meanwhile, Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova stated via Telegram that a separate convoy of 25 buses and nine ambulances initially traveled to Armiansk in annexed Crimea. At that checkpoint, the transport split to accommodate individuals choosing either Ukrainian-controlled territory or destinations within Russia. Neither Moscow nor Kiev specified how many people were successfully evacuated, while authorities from both countries had previously indicated that many residents wished to stay even in the event of renewed combat.
Supervising the Evacuation and Aid Distribution
High-level officials from both nations traveled directly to the front-line zone to oversee the operation. Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova and Dmytro Lubinets arrived in Olechky on Friday as the relief mission concluded. Lantratova distributed video footage on Telegram showing individuals waiting to board buses, alongside other images displaying residents standing outside their apartment buildings with belongings ready for departure. Lubinets shared video footage showing him speaking with residents, several of whom expressed tearful gratitude. One resident remarked on enduring difficulties over the past five years in footage broadcast by Ukrainian media, while another expressed exhaustion, stating that they would stay longer if they had health, but only wanted to be with their children. Humanitarian aid was also distributed locally after road demining in recent days, as announced by Moscow and Kiev.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, confirmed that the humanitarian operation was actively underway, though he remained outside the immediate city limits. Representatives from Ukraine and Russia cooperated in this rare humanitarian mission, providing a brief moment of collaboration amid the war. Both Moscow and Kiev issued identical statements confirming that residents retaining the desire to stay would receive ongoing humanitarian assistance, with Russian officials adding that they remain in contact with those who stayed in Olechky to understand their future needs.
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Pre-Invasion Population | Approx. 24,000 |
| Remaining Population | Approx. 2,000 |
| Evacuation Transport | 25 buses, multiple ambulances |
Local authorities and volunteers estimate that approximately 2,000 people remain in Olechky out of a pre-war population of 24,000. While the temporary ceasefire is scheduled to hold until Sunday evening, heavy combat immediately resumed elsewhere along the front lines.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukrainian authorities documented incoming ballistic missiles, standard missile strikes, and dozens of aerial drones across other sectors of the country.
