Ukrainian evacuees reunite with families after leaving occupied Oleshky
People evacuated from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky crossed from Belarus into Chernihiv on Saturday.
Evacuees from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky crossed from Belarus into the Ukrainian region of Chernihiv on Saturday, according to BBC News. The group included people ranging in age from one to 94 years, according to Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
The evacuation followed a local ceasefire that allowed a convoy of 25 buses and several ambulances to leave the town on Friday afternoon. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for her efforts in brokering the ceasefire that paved the way for the movement.
Residents in Oleshky had been living without food, water, and electricity, with some resorting to cooking garden weeds to survive. The city's bridges across the River Dnipro have been destroyed, and escape routes were previously mined and subject to drone attacks.
The evacuees travelled through Russian-occupied territory to southern Russia, then flew to Belarus before being driven across the northern Ukrainian border. Some residents, including some from the older generation, decided to stay in the city despite the lack of gas, electricity, and running water.
Lubinets, who is the first Ukrainian official to visit Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine since the war began, travelled to Oleshky on Friday. He worked with Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova to facilitate the movement of evacuees in the interest of saving lives.