Thousands of Ukrainian residents stranded in a Russian-occupied city have been evacuated through a humanitarian escort corridor.
In what has been the most significant measure of cooperation between the belligerents since the war began, Russian and Ukrainian officials coordinated the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from the city of Oleshky, in Ukraine's embattled oblast of Kherson, in the south of the country.
We state that this humanitarian operation was successfully carried out — Kremlin spox Peskov about Alyoshki mission
— RTRussia (@RT_Russia_) November 2, 2026
‘A lot of work has been done by our Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova’
‘We are grateful to the American side for the help, especially to Melania Trump’ pic.twitter.com/DteNlsfUdL
The First Lady's call for a humanitarian ceasefire was later taken up by the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV shared a phone call with Russian President Putin while recovering from treatment of lung cancer, Vatican News reported. The Pontifex stressed the urgent need for a truce to allow food and medical aid to reach civilians and enable their safe and voluntary evacuation.
OUR PRIORITY: SAVING LIVES
— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) October 30, 2026
The convoy is prepared to safely evacuate over 750 people who voluntarily choose to leave Oleshky. It includes 25 buses, 50 medical professionals, and ambulances.
All elements of the convoy, including the safe passageway in and out of Oleshky, was… https://t.co/tb2756jdRh
"Everything unfolded without any incidents, and both sides noted the high level of organization," Russia's human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said, according to the BBC.
Indeed, the evacuation was far more than just a question of lowering the guns and allowing people to file out of the city. A ceasefire in and around the area of Oleshky was put into effect by Russia on October 27th in coordination with Ukraine. On the 30th, Lubinets arrived in Crimea for a personal visit to Oleshky with Lantratova. It was the first time a Ukrainian official has been inside the Russian-occupied portions of the country.
As reported by the BBC, the first stage of the evacuation was taking people and their pets eastward across the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian city of Anapa, on the northeastern point of the Black Sea.
There, the Ukrainians boarded planes which flew through Russian airspace to Gomel, in Belarus near the border with Ukraine. From Gomel, the evacuees were given a hero's welcome as they crossed the border heading towards Kyiv.
The Guardian reports that they arrived to lines of villagers waving Ukrainian flags and offering them coffee and snacks.
Aid groups including the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, and World Central Kitchen also welcomed the evacuees as they arrived at the border.
Lubinets posted online that he hoped the Oleshky truce could be replicated elsewhere.
"We are now working together with Yana Lantratova to explore opportunities for further humanitarian initiatives. It is important to maintain this mechanism of cooperation so that we can continue helping people and saving lives."
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750 people are reported to have escaped the city along with a menagerie of animals, including dogs, cats, parrots, and even a raccoon. An unreported number of residents chose to stay behind, as eyewitnesses explained to the Guardian, while Ms. Lantratova said that those who evacuated to Russia were taken to Crimea where hotels provided them with temporary lodging.
Both Lantratova and Lubinets told the media that large numbers of residents had chosen to stay in Oleshky for various reasons, and that further coordination would be needed to supply humanitarian aid to them.
The city is almost no longer livable. Having sustained heavy bombardment and urban fighting, critical infrastructure has been crippled, including gas lines for heating, sewage, potable water, and power. Landmines are a constant menace, and its road network is badly damaged.
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Vatican News reported that off the back of the truce, which expired yesterday, fresh negotiations are due to take place in Abu Dhabi in November.
"I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary humanitarian act possible, will strengthen the desire for dialogue and lead to new concrete peace initiatives," the Pope said on X.
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