Evacuees from occupied Oleshky have crossed into Ukraine, Zelenskyy says

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the successful completion of a humanitarian operation in Oleshky, a city in Kherson Oblast that remains under Russian occupation. All of the Ukrainian citizens evacuated from the area have now crossed the border into Ukraine in Chernihiv Oblast, he said in a statement on social media.

Zelenskyy explained that a temporary ceasefire had been arranged on the Kherson front specifically for the humanitarian operation. The truce made it possible for Ukrainian teams to work in and around the occupied city during the agreed period.

During this period, roads leading to Oleshky were cleared of mines so that people and supplies could move safely. Humanitarian aid was delivered to the area, and residents requiring assistance were evacuated from the city itself and from the communities around it.

The evacuees came not only from Oleshky but also from the surrounding hromada, an administrative unit in Ukraine that designates a town, a village or several villages together with their adjacent territories.

"As of now, Ukrainian citizens from Oleshky have crossed the Ukrainian border in the Chernihiv region," Zelenskyy said in his statement. "All of them will receive the assistance they need."

Looking ahead, the president said he hopes that humanitarian access to Oleshky will continue and that the operation will not be a one-off. He also urged government agencies and local authorities to help the evacuees settle into their new surroundings.

Zelenskyy also used his statement to thank those who made the mission possible. He expressed gratitude to the United States and to First Lady Melania Trump for their mediation efforts, to Ukraine's defence forces for providing security during the operation, and to Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets and his team for carrying it out.

Zelenskyy's announcement capped an operation that combined demining work, aid deliveries and an evacuation, and that required a halt in fighting on the Kherson front to proceed.

The evacuation of Ukrainians from occupied Oleshky also had an air component, with four aircraft taking part. The last of the four landed in Homiel (Gomel), in neighbouring Belarus, on the morning of 31 October.