OMM Newsroom
Residents are being evacuated and humanitarian aid delivered in Oleshky, a Russian-controlled city in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, AnewZ reported. Senior Ukrainian official David Arakhamia wrote on Telegram on Friday that a six-day ceasefire was in effect and said further information would be provided.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said on his X account on Friday, October 30, that 25 buses with capacity for 750 people had been prepared to evacuate city residents. Ambulances were also made ready for people with limited mobility.
Lubinets said all civilians wishing to leave Oleshky would be given the opportunity to leave safely. Residents who choose to stay will be able to receive essential humanitarian aid. He stressed that both sides must observe the six-day ceasefire reached with the mediation of the United States.
“Our main task is to ensure that this aid reaches everyone in need. Special attention is being paid to the elderly, people with disabilities and those who cannot care for themselves because of their health or other circumstances,” Lubinets said.
The ombudsman said the mission was being carried out together with Russia’s human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, preparations had been completed and journalists from three countries had joined the team to cover it. He thanked Lantratova for her cooperation and US First Lady Melania Trump for her mediation and coordination efforts. Lubinets also expressed special gratitude to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Oleshky is on the front line in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region. Russian forces captured the city in February 2022, in the first days of the war. Before the war, it had a population of about 24,000.
According to Ukrainian authorities, about 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in the city. Oleshky has been without electricity, gas and water for three years, and its shops are also closed. Access to and from the city has become significantly more difficult because routes are mined and drones are attacking.
The newspaper Izvestia reported on Friday that a humanitarian convoy carrying food and medical supplies had set out for Oleshky during the night. The publication said journalists from France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine and the United States were accompanying the convoy.
On Thursday, Russia and Ukraine said demining in areas around Oleshky had been completed and that they were ready to begin an operation to deliver aid to residents and allow some of them to leave the city. Lantratova said two people had been killed during demining operations in the city.
