Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago2 min read
MapCeasefire Holds In Russian-Occupied Oleshky As Civilians Prepare Evacuation
“Many residents have resorted to cooking garden weeds to survive, telling the BBC they are suffering extreme hunger and want to leave.”
“Everyone involved in this operation has been asked to maintain strict confidentiality.”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
A localized ceasefire began Oct 27 around Oleshky, enabling civilian evacuation preparations. Evacuation planned to move residents via route to Anapa in Russia's Krasnodar region.
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Oleshky evacuation truce
A temporary ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region has enabled preparations to evacuate civilians amid severe shortages of electricity, food, and medicine. Dmytro Lubinets reported that the ceasefire began at 3 a.m. on 27 October, and the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the ceasefire had been implemented. The ceasefire was expected to remain in effect until 10:59 p.m. on 1 November, while roads leading into Oleshky have been mined and the town remains under constant shelling.
“The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the ceasefire had been implemented.”
The evacuation plan described by Baltic News Network sends residents who wish to return to Ukrainian government-controlled territory first to Anapa in Russia's Krasnodar region, then on a Russian Ministry of Defence aircraft to Gomel in Belarus, before transfer to Ukraine. The plan also places Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets, two representatives of his office, and two Ukrainian journalists on the mission, alongside representatives of Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova and members of the humanitarian mission coordination group.
Who joins and what fear
Ukraine and Russia have respected the ceasefire requested by Melania Trump from 3:00 a.m. on day 27 until today, as Dimitro Lubinets and Yana Lantratova confirmed. Both sides have begun demining around the city besieged by Moscow to enable evacuation of the people still trapped there. The humanitarian operation involves successive stages, with the practical phase scheduled to begin on 29 October and the actual evacuation of residents due to begin on 30 October.
DW reported that mine-clearing operations on the road began at around 8 a.m., while Myroslava Kharchenko said she did not have confirmation that evacuation efforts had begun inside Oleshky. "I don't believe in Russia's humanity," a resident warned, as the BBC described residents cooking garden weeds to survive and facing mined routes out of Oleshky.
Truce timing and next steps
The truce is supposed to allow aid deliveries and a civilian evacuation on Friday, while it described Oleshky as trapped on one side by the Dnipro River and on the other by Russian forces. The truce is due to be in place until 23:59 local time on 1 November, and it quoted Davyd Arakhamia, a Ukrainian MP who heads Zelensky's party in parliament. Demining teams would first clear roads of explosives, then humanitarian aid would be delivered and registration would begin for residents who want to leave Oleshky.
DW said organizers were collecting information through closed internal local chat groups, including registration lists and application forms, and Kharchenko said organizers were also asking people to provide contact information for neighbors or relatives. The pause in fighting in Oleshky was due to last until 11pm on Sunday, and buses taking residents to occupied Crimea and Russia described the evacuation of about 2,000 trapped civilians appeared to be underway.