How Oleshky residents survived occupation and escaped during a humanitarian ceasefire

A humanitarian evacuation from the occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky took place from October 27 to November 1, facilitated by a local ceasefire, with evacuees transported via buses and planes through Russia and Belarus back to Ukraine. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, who participated, declined to release official numbers of evacuees to avoid comparisons of how many chose Ukraine versus Russia. The operation, mediated by Melania Trump, evacuated around 800 people according to her, though Russian officials disputed this figure. Evacuees included a 94-year-old, infants, and 105 pets. Lubinets reported that some residents chose to remain under occupation, and the mission also recovered bodies from a local morgue for repatriation. He described harrowing conditions, including residents surviving on drone-dropped aid and facing danger from mines and drones. Evacuees shared stories of hardship, including a woman whose husband died after a mine injury and another who had no relatives waiting for her. A teacher described being targeted by occupiers for sharing information online, and residents spoke of being used as a "human shield" due to the city's strategic location near Kherson. Lubinets emphasized the mission's importance as a potential model for future evacuations, stating he would have done it even for a single person.