Oleshky evacuees reunite with family at Ukrainian border

Evacuees from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky arrived at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border on Saturday to reunite with family members. The group stepped off buses wrapped in blue and yellow flags after a journey through Russia and Belarus. Volunteers holding hand-drawn signs handed out coffee to the travelers. Residents from nearby villages lined the highway, waving flags and flashlights to greet the convoy. Tetiana Leonidivna, 71, thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their help. "We love them, we love them," she said through tears. "We know that they are protecting us." Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and World Central Kitchen representatives were on site to provide food and aid to the evacuees and their pets.

The rescue operation took place during a ceasefire in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. The truce began early Tuesday and was scheduled to last through Sunday evening. The White House stated that First Lady Melania Trump helped broker the localized deal. Pope Leo XIV also urged Russia and Ukraine to allow aid deliveries and evacuations. Ukrainian authorities have not released the total number of residents who left Oleshky. They have also restricted details of the convoy's route to protect future humanitarian missions. Melania Trump posted on social media on Friday that the convoy could safely evacuate more than 750 people.

Ivan Yevhenovych, 48, described his final months in the occupied city. He held a cigarette between shaking fingers as he spoke. "It was very difficult. There were a lot of drones. It was hard to move around the streets," he said. He noted that staple food had been scarce since spring. Landmines and drone strikes killed residents daily. An estimated 2,000 people remained in Oleshky when the truce began. They could choose to evacuate to Ukrainian or Russian territory or stay with new food and medical supplies. "Many people stayed behind and didn't want to leave," Yevhenovych said. "Some for their houses, some for their animals."

Liza Paliy, 19, waited at the border for her father. She had not seen him in more than two and a half years. "We thought at that time that it would be a month, two maximum, and we would return, but unfortunately, two years have already passed," she said. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets called the mission a win. He said evacuees ranged in age from just over one year to 94. He noted that they brought dogs, cats, a parrot, and a raccoon. Lubinets said the truce could form a basis for new humanitarian mechanisms. Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said both sides agreed to conduct regular missions in Oleshky. She said living conditions there remain difficult. Those who moved to Russian-occupied territory were taken to a temporary shelter in Simferopol, Crimea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed U.S. approval of a $2.1 billion sale of 500 PAC-3 Patriot interceptors on Saturday. The State Department said Canada, Germany, and Norway would fund the purchase through a U.S. program. Zelenskyy urged partners to supply weapons from existing stocks because new deliveries could take years. He said Russia attacked energy infrastructure in Ukraine overnight. More than 30 strikes hit the power grid in the past two weeks of October. Russian forces shot down 433 Ukrainian drones during the night. A Ukrainian drone attack killed a 30-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man in Russia's Bryansk region. Five others were wounded. Local officials also reported drone attacks in the Bashkortostan republic. Zelenskyy said 280,000 households in the Dnipro and Kyiv regions lost power. Repair crews are working to restore service.

The Ukrainian and Russian governments both labeled the Oleshky evacuation a success. Lubinets said the negotiations were difficult but the people are now safe. Lantratova said her team will support residents who decided to stay in Oleshky. Zelenskyy asked the world to impose further sanctions on Russia. He said countries must help Ukraine stop the escalation of attacks on civilian infrastructure. The convoy's arrival marked the end of the specific humanitarian mission in the Kherson region. The truce is expected to hold through Sunday evening.