Evacuees From Front-Line Oleshky Arrive in Chernihiv Following Ceasefire
Hundreds of Ukrainian residents evacuated from the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky arrived in the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv on Saturday after travelling through Belarus. The evacuees, who had lived under Russian control for years, reached a military facility in Chernihiv where they were processed and reunited with family members.
Oleshky was seized by Russian forces during the initial days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The city has remained trapped between the Dnipro River on one side and Russian military positions on the other. Residents who escaped described extreme hardship during the prolonged occupation, including severe shortages of essential supplies, continuous military strikes, and heavy landmine contamination in the surrounding area.
Ceasefire Enables Four-Hour Evacuation Window
The evacuation was made possible by a humanitarian ceasefire in the Kherson region, which was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump. The agreement established the first period of peace in the area in four years, allowing residents a four-hour window on Friday to depart the city.
Authorities deployed a convoy of 25 buses alongside ambulances for individuals with limited mobility to transport up to 750 evacuees out of the city. The evacuees travelled through Russian-occupied territory into southern Russia before flying to Belarus, from where they were transported by bus across the border into Ukraine. An estimated 6,000 people, including roughly 200 children, were believed to be living in Oleshky and its surrounding areas prior to the operation, with approximately 1,700 residing within the city itself.
Stories of Survival and Devastation
Evacuees arriving on the tarmac in Chernihiv were received by medical personnel and relatives. Several elderly individuals were carried from the transport vehicles on stretchers due to physical weakness. Families described risking their lives to search for basic necessities prior to the evacuation window.
Resident Olha, who arrived with her husband Viacheslav, their two adult children in their 30s, and their dog, stated that the couple had crossed through minefields earlier in the month to search for food. Olha reported that residents were being injured or killed by landmines while trying to survive, while others who remained indoors resorted to cooking garden weeds for sustenance. Viacheslav described their experience in the occupied city as living through "hell."
Other residents recounted extensive damage to private infrastructure. Tetiana and Volodymyr, who arrived carrying a cat, stated that their home was destroyed by fire three years ago, forcing them to reside in a neighbour's abandoned property. Another evacuee, Mykhailo Palii, reunited with his daughters Dasha and Anya at the military processing site, reporting that a strike had blown a hole into his home's bathroom during ongoing missile and drone attacks.
Resettlement and Future Plans
With their departure from Oleshky, the evacuees now face the challenge of securing basic housing and employment across Ukraine. Many left behind no remaining family or property in the occupied territory, while expressing concern for the residents who remain in Oleshky.
Palii stated that he intends to seek immediate manual labour work to support his family, while Olha noted that her family plans to stay with acquaintances for an extended period while attempting to rebuild their lives in Ukraine.
