Hundreds of residents of the destroyed town of Olesky, on Russia’s territory occupied by Ukraine, have been evacuated after a humanitarian ceasefire brokered by the first US lady, Melanie Trump.
Russian and Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that the evacuation was realised on Friday, without incident, while residents who wanted to leave had a four-hour deadline to do so, the BBC writes, broadcast Duguagjini.
Everything developed without an incident, and both sides praised the high level of organisation, has declared the Russian Ombudsperson for human rights, Yana Lantratova.
Ukrainian authorities have announced that the initially evacuated persons will be sent south to Russia, where they will continue their journey to Ukraine through Belarus.
Melanie Trump has stated that all elements of the operation, including the safe entrance and exit corridor from Olesky, are jointly agreed by Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
25 buses have been made available for evacuation, with the capacity to transport up to 750 people, as well as ambulances for people with limited mobility. The operation was held until 2: 00 a.m. local time.
The ceasefire across the front line area in the Kherson region, which went into effect Tuesday, has been described as the longest and largest since the beginning of Ukraine’s 2022 Russian occupation. He has also enabled the removal of the road that connects Olesky to other areas.
However, several hundred residents have decided to stay in the city despite major disasters and lack of gas, electricity, and running water.
Anyone who wants to leave Olesky will have the opportunity to do this safely. At the same time, those who decide to stay will be able to do so and will receive all necessary humanitarian assistance, has declared Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsperson Dmytro Lubinets.
Because of the positioning of Ukrainian forces, located about five kilometers away from Oleshky, evacuated residents must first cross the territory occupied by Russia and then travel to the Russian town of Anapa.
From there, they will be transported on a Russian government plane to Gomel in Belarus, to proceed with vehicles to the Ukrainian region of Chernihivi.
Ukrainian Ombudsperson Lubinets, and his Russian counterpart, Lantratova, have travelled together to Olishky, heading from Armiansk, to the Crimean Peninsula, occupied by Russia.
According to the report, Lubinets is the first Ukrainian official to have visited the occupied parts of Ukraine since the beginning of the war. He is also expected to become the first Ukrainian official to visit Russia, when accompanying the evacuated during their return to Ukraine on Saturday.
His co-operation with the Russian representative has sparked reactions in Ukraine, where some have expressed disappointment with his appearance alongside a representative of the invading authorities. Lubinets has said that co-operation has been done in the interest of saving lives.
Both officials have published images by Olesky, where residents have been given the opportunity to divide into two groups, depending on whether they want to go to Russia-controlled territory or return to Ukraine.
Russia, meanwhile, has announced that it has prepared dozens of tonnes of humanitarian aid for residents who do not want to leave, including food, medicine, hygienic products and generator fuel.
Melanie Trump provides ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the occupied town of Olesky
Source Layer: Dukeagini
