On the morning of 31 October, four aircraft arrived in Gomel, Belarus, carrying residents of the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region who had decided to return to territory controlled by Ukraine. The people were transported by Russian military transport aircraft from Anapa in Russia. The evacuees are being accompanied by the Ukrainian Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, and the final stage of the humanitarian operation will be the crossing of the Ukrainian border.
Briefly about the main points
- Four aeroplanes carrying residents of Oleshky have arrived in Belarus.
- The Ukrainians were transported by Russian military aircraft via Anapa.
- The evacuees are being accompanied by Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
- People will be taken by bus from Gomel to the Ukrainian border.
The evacuated residents of Oleshky were taken to Gomel
The Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported the arrival of three aircraft. According to the agency, the aircraft landed at Gomel Airport on the morning of 31 October.
Prior to this, residents of Oleshky were transported by bus through the temporarily occupied Crimea to Anapa in Russia. From there, they flew to Belarus on military transport aircraft.
A temporary tent camp has been set up at Gomel Airport to receive people. Medical staff, rescue workers and Red Cross volunteers have been called in to assist those being evacuated. Upon arrival, the evacuees are to be transferred to buses and taken to the «Nova Huta» border crossing on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.
According to the provisional plan, evacuation is due to end on 31 October. The exact number of people returning to Ukraine has not yet been officially announced.
Lubinec is personally accompanying the Ukrainians
The humanitarian operation is being co-ordinated by the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, who travelled in person to the occupied town of Oleshky on 30 October. Together with members of the Ukrainian delegation, he met with local residents to ascertain their needs and organise the departure of those wishing to leave.
The day before, the ombudsman reported that all residents who had expressed a wish to return to territory controlled by Ukraine had been given the opportunity to leave the city. Once operations in Oleshky had concluded, the evacuation convoys split up. Some people set off towards Ukraine, whilst others chose to head for Russian-controlled territory.
Humanitarian aid, including food, drinking water, medicines and essential items, has been delivered to those who have decided to remain in the occupied city.
The Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergey Koretsky It was previously reported that, once they had crossed the border, the evacuees would undergo medical examinations and be provided with clothing and hygiene products. Accommodation has been arranged for them in various regions of Ukraine.
The evacuation was made possible by a temporary ceasefire
The humanitarian operation was preceded by talks between the Ukrainian and Russian sides, with the First Lady of the United States in attendance Melania Trump.
In the Oleshky district, a special measure was introduced from 03:00 on 27 October ceasefire, which is due to last until 22:59 on 1 November. The agreements made it possible to clear the route of mines, deliver humanitarian aid and organise the evacuation of the civilian population.
According to Lubinets, as of the evening of 30 October, the ceasefire had been in place for 87 hours with no recorded breaches.
To carry out an evacuation 25 buses were prepared, with a total capacity of over 750 passengers. However, this figure does not represent the confirmed number of people who actually left the city.
Why are residents being evacuated via Russia and Belarus?
This unusual evacuation route is due to Oleshky’s location on the left bank of the Dnieper, which remains under Russian occupation. Due to the hostilities and the complex security situation, the direct transport of civilians to territory controlled by Ukraine is not possible without special arrangements. That is why a route via occupied Crimea, Russia’s Krasnodar Krai and Belarus was chosen to bring people home.
Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since 2022. Following the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in June 2023, the town suffered widespread flooding, and subsequent fighting made it considerably more difficult to supply the population with food, medicines and other essential goods.
The current humanitarian operation has become one of the few instances in which representatives of Ukraine and Russia have directly co-ordinated the evacuation of civilians from the temporarily occupied territory.
