Oleshky evacuation route through Russia

The evacuation of civilians from the temporarily occupied city of Oleshky will follow a specific path through Russian and Belarusian territory. Under an agreement reached by the Russian and Ukrainian sides, residents will first be transported to the airport in Anapa, located in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. From there, the Ukrainian delegation and the evacuees will board a Russian Defence Ministry military transport aircraft bound for Gomel in Belarus. Before reaching the border, the group will cross into Ukraine to complete the journey. The Ukrainian Ombudsman's office expects this leg of the trip to occur on Saturday, October 31.

Human Rights Commissioner Lubinets departed for the area on October 29 with a delegation to oversee the mission. His Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, also traveled to the site. Lubinets stated he is currently on his way to Oleshky to observe conditions directly and provide updates on the mission's progress. He acknowledged that social media users have noted his presence on Russian territory, prompting questions and provocative posts about the move.

Lubinets urged the public to avoid jumping to conclusions while the negotiations are still active. He noted that the discussions were difficult and lengthy. "We have only covered half the distance towards achieving our goal," he said. He asked the public to hold their questions until he returns home.

A document signed by Lantratova, which Fox News published, outlines the logistics of the transfer. The Ukrainian Ombudsman's office clarified that this document is not a military or political agreement. They emphasized that saving lives takes precedence over political assessments. "The temporarily occupied territories are part of Ukraine," the office stated. They added that the humanitarian mission should not become a target of information manipulation.

The office described the situation in Oleshky as unprecedented, noting that this specific format of rescue has not been achieved before. They expressed gratitude to US First Lady Melania Trump for her role in securing the ceasefire and coordinating the effort. Lubinets's office called on the public to support the delegation and avoid creating a sense of betrayal, which they said is not needed at this time.

The ceasefire in the Oleshky area began at 03:00 on October 27. Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed the introduction of the truce. The White House announced that Melania Trump secured the agreement between Russia and Ukraine to address the humanitarian disaster in the city. The ceasefire is scheduled to remain in effect until 22:59 on November 1.