Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky under a local ceasefire

Residents of Russian-occupied Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region were evacuated on Friday in the first joint relief operation by both sides in the nearly five-year war, Reuters reports. A local ceasefire brokered by Melania Trump took effect in Oleshky and Kherson on Tuesday. Officials prepared 25 evacuation buses and an aid convoy reached the town. Some residents chose Russia and others Ukrainian-controlled territory. Technical peace talks are set to resume in Abu Dhabi next month.

The day's 5 biggest stories, verified, free by email

▶ Watch the 90-second briefing (story 3 of 5) 🔔 Get 6 AM & 5 PM alerts

Why it matters

Residents of Oleshky, which Russia seized in 2022 and which was badly flooded in 2023, received food, medical supplies and fuel and could leave for Russia or Ukrainian-controlled territory. Ukraine's ombudsman says the ceasefire covers an unusually long stretch of the front line, while the Kremlin says it is an isolated case.

What to watch

Technical peace talks are set to resume in Abu Dhabi next month, Reuters reports.

How each side sees it

Ukraine saysOmbudsman Dmytro Lubinets said it is the first time since 2022 that a ceasefire has covered such an extensive stretch of the front line. A Ukrainian evacuation volunteer said Russia broke the agreement by starting early.

Russia saysHuman rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said food, medical supplies and fuel were being delivered. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the cooperation an isolated case that is "difficult to extrapolate" to the wider peace process.

Sources

Checked against 2 established news sources:

Also in this edition

Published Saturday, October 31, 2026. Spot an error? Email [email protected]. See our corrections log and standards.