Oleshky: civilians evacuated during ceasefire that runs out on 1 November
Civilians have begun leaving Russian-occupied Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region. The rare local ceasefire that made this possible was due to last until 1 November 2026.
Author: Editorial teamPublished: 2 min read
Contents
Residents of Russian-occupied Oleshky in southern Ukraine have begun leaving the town under a rare local humanitarian ceasefire. The truce was due to last until Sunday 1 November 2026.
Background to the ceasefire
The White House said on 23 October 2026 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to temporarily halt fighting in Oleshky. The aim was to deliver humanitarian aid and prepare for the evacuation of civilians. According to the White House, US First Lady Melania Trump took part in the mediation. The Ukrainian side worked with Yana Lantratova, Russia's human rights commissioner.
The ceasefire took effect on Tuesday 27 October at 3am Kyiv time, two days earlier than originally planned. It also covered nearby Kherson, where Russia's defence ministry said it had stopped attacks. According to Rzeczpospolita, it was due to run until 10.59pm on Sunday 1 November.
Situation in the town
Oleshky lies about 4km from Kherson, on the occupied left bank of the Dnipro. Earlier reports said nearly 2,000 people remained there, including 50 children. Access roads were mined and Russian drones flew constantly overhead, which made it hard both to leave and to deliver aid. Ukraine's foreign minister warned that residents were going hungry. Calls for a local ceasefire came from, among others, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner Michael O'Flaherty and Pope Leo XIV.
The evacuation
Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on Thursday 29 October that the first aid convoy would arrive on Friday, once the roads had been cleared of mines. On Friday 30 October, MP Davyd Arakhamia wrote on Telegram that the Ukrainian delegation had safely reached the town. He said evacuation and aid distribution had begun.
Arakhamia said evacuees would travel to Anapa in Russia, fly from there to Belarus and then return to Ukraine by bus. The Financial Times had earlier reported that those who agreed to leave would first be taken to Crimea or Russia.
Attacks on infrastructure
BBC News's summary of 1 November 2026 says Russian strikes cut power to thousands of people in Ukraine and that the ceasefire in the Kherson area is coming to an end. We could not confirm the details of these strikes in other sources, so we do not include them.
What this means for you
The news does not directly affect residence rules or travel. However, for people with family or friends in Ukraine, it gives an update on the humanitarian situation in the Kherson region.
Sources
- Rozejm na południu Ukrainy. Chersoń powoli wraca do życia, mieszkańcy odetchnęli
- Mieszkańcy Ołeszek rozpoczęli ewakuację. Samolot zabierze ich na Białoruś
- Rosja wstrzymała ataki w jednym regionie. W tle dramat dwóch tysięcy ludzi
- Przełom w okupowanych Ołeszkach. Ruszyła ewakuacja mieszkańców
- Russian strikes cut power to thousands in Ukraine as Kherson ceasefire to end
This article was prepared automatically by AI from the listed sources and published without prior editorial review. Spotted a mistake? Use the “Report an error in this article” button.
Photos
- Cover: „men, evacuation, disaster, catastrophe, male”, author: hosnysalah, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
- Photo 1: „hand, woman, female, man, touch”, author: zhivko, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
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