Ukraine and Russia evacuate residents of Oleshky in first joint aid operation

Residents of the Russian-held Ukrainian town of Oleshky were evacuated Friday in the first joint relief operation by both warring sides since the war began, under a local ceasefire brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump. An aid convoy delivered food and medicine, while 25 buses and nine ambulances transported evacuees to Crimea, where they split into separate convoys for Russia or Ukraine. Ukrainian evacuees faced a 1,600-kilometer route through Anapa, Russia, and Belarus, while attacks continued elsewhere, including a Russian drone strike that killed 15 in Dnipro. The operation, coordinated by Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova and Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, was praised by both sides, though the Kremlin called it an isolated situation. Demining efforts preceded the convoy, and the ceasefire was the most durable of the war, with U.S.-mediated peace talks set to resume in November.