Hundreds flee Russian occupied Oleshky during temporary Kherson region ceasefire

More than 400 civilians have escaped the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region of Ukraine following a brief local ceasefire. UN News and France 24 both reported that a temporary truce permitted residents to leave the occupied area over the weekend. UN News reported that many evacuees arrived at medical facilities in Kyiv on October 31 in a worrying condition after being trapped by active combat. [1][2][3]

Evacuees endured months of extreme hardships while living under occupation. France 24 reported that residents described years of isolation, constant shelling, and severe food shortages, with some civilians forced to eat grass and dogs to survive. According to UN News, the United Nations World Food Programme and its local partner NGO, Iskra Dobra, provided hot meals to arriving evacuees and plan to continue assistance for two weeks. [1][2]

Routes taken by those fleeing differed among reports. France 24 reported that some residents reached Ukrainian-held territory directly, while another report from France 24 noted that people traveled through Russia and Belarus before arriving in the Chernihiv region on Saturday to reunite with families. [2][3]

Oleshky is situated on the left bank of the Dnieper River in Kherson Raion and is the oldest city in the oblast, having previously recorded a population of 24,124. Throughout the Russo-Ukrainian War, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented thousands of civilian deaths caused by Russian bombardment and indiscriminate attacks in populated areas. [5][6]

Humanitarian agencies expect additional evacuees to arrive in the coming days as the UN pushes to restore essential services in the region before winter. [1]