Residents of Ukraine's Oleshky arrive in Belarus - RTE.ie

Evacuation Convoys Depart From Oleshky After Ceasefire Agreement

Four planes carrying residents evacuated from the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky have landed in Belarus, according to the Belarusian Belta state news agency and a senior Ukrainian official. Hundreds of starving and exhausted residents left the town during a US-backed local ceasefire, which marks the first of its kind and the longest humanitarian pause in the war, now nearing its fifth year.

According to rte.ie, “The last, fourth plane landed in Gomel,” said David Arakhamia, a top Ukrainian peace negotiator and close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky. “In a few hours, all Ukrainian citizens evacuated from Oleshky together with a Ukrainian delegation will be on Ukrainian territory.” Belta subsequently reported that a convoy of buses carrying the residents departed from the airport in Gomel, located in southeastern Belarus near the border with Ukraine.

Frontline Logistics and the Route Through Russia

The evacuees leaving for Ukraine faced a complicated and lengthy route to exit Oleshky because the frontline runs just a few kilometers away. As detailed in reports from rte.ie and The Guardian, evacuees first traveled by bus via the Crimean peninsula to the Russian town of Anapa. From there, they flew to Belarus and prepared to continue into Ukraine via a border crossing.

Residents of Ukraine's Oleshky arrive in Belarus - RTE.ie — Photo: The Independent

The Guardian reported that Kyiv’s delegation reached the city late on Friday morning to prepare for the operation, with social media footage showing tearful residents embracing delegation members as they gathered in heavy rain. The localized ceasefire in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region allowed roads out of Oleshky to be de-mined, making the relief mission possible. However, CNN noted that two people participating in the road-clearing operation were killed.

Mediation Efforts and Severe On-the-Ground Conditions

Supply routes had been heavily disrupted by fighting and drones, with residents telling outlets that food deliveries stopped as early as May, pushing hundreds into starvation. CNN reported that the town ran out of food and supplies entirely by September, leaving residents without electricity, gas, or medicine.

Officials in Kyiv stated that roughly 1,700 people remained in Oleshky from a pre-war population of about 24,000. Many of those who stayed were elderly or ill, according to Reuters interviews cited in the initial reporting. While earlier reports suggested more than 500 people wanted to move to Ukrainian territory, it remained unclear how many individuals ultimately traveled in the convoy, as some residents opted to stay behind in the town.