Evacuation of 2,000 Residents from Russian-Occupied Olechky in Kherson Region

Around 2,000 residents were evacuated from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Olechky on Friday during a rare, functioning localized ceasefire, according to both Moscow and Kiev, amid a severe humanitarian crisis. The town, on the front line in the Kherson region, faced critical shortages of medicine, water, and food, with some residents reportedly forced to hunt pigeons. The evacuation convoy, including 25 buses and nine ambulances, first went to Crimea, where evacuees chose between returning to Ukrainian-controlled territory or going to Russia. The ceasefire, announced last week by Melania Trump, ends Sunday evening. Olechky was captured by Russian forces in 2022, and both sides had previously accused each other of blocking aid. This truce is the longest since the invasion began in February 2022, though attacks continued elsewhere in Ukraine.