Civilians evacuated from the heavily damaged Russian-occupied city of Oleshky have arrived in Belarus and are scheduled to return to Ukraine later on Saturday, according to authorities.
The evacuation took place on Friday under a temporary humanitarian ceasefire mediated by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.
Multiple aircraft transporting residents of Oleshky landed at Gomel airport in Belarus on Saturday morning, as confirmed by Belarusian state media and senior Ukrainian officials.
“The final, fourth plane touched down in Gomel. Within hours, all Ukrainian citizens evacuated from Oleshky, along with the Ukrainian delegation, will enter Ukrainian territory,” stated David Arakhamia, a prominent Ukrainian official.
Belarusian state news agency Belta reported that a convoy of buses carrying evacuees departed from Gomel airport and is en route to the Ukrainian border.
A humanitarian pause across the frontline region of Kherson began on Tuesday, marking the first period of relative calm in the area in four years, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This ceasefire enabled demining operations along the route out of Oleshky and remains effective until Sunday, November 1.
Evacuees were given a four-hour window to depart before a convoy of 25 buses—each with capacity for 750 people—and accompanying ambulances for individuals with mobility challenges, left the city on Friday afternoon.
Hundreds of residents reportedly chose to remain in the war-ravaged city, despite severe infrastructure damage and shortages of gas, electricity, and clean water.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, assured on Friday morning that those staying behind will be provided with essential humanitarian support.
