Ukraine and Russia are holding daily talks on the evacuation of civilians from the occupied Oleshky community in the Kherson region and are close to agreeing on the terms, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has said. Around 6,000 people, including up to 200 children, may remain in the community. No final agreement or start date for the evacuation has yet been reached.
Briefly about the main points
- Russia is considering the terms of the humanitarian operation proposed by Ukraine.
- The parties must agree on a ceasefire and the safety of the route.
- The assessment covers Oleshky and six neighbouring settlements.
- Aid was delivered to the city twice by drones.
- The date of the organised evacuation of civilians has not yet been set.
What terms are the parties discussing?
The Russian side has taken Ukraine’s proposals regarding a humanitarian operation into consideration, he said Lubinec on the «Espreso» TV channel. According to him, the parties are discussing a ceasefire during the evacuation and security guarantees for civilians.
Ukraine insists that all those wishing to leave should be transported directly to territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. The Ombudsman stated that there are still unresolved issues in the process, but described the progress made as the greatest possible.
Estimates of the number of people in the community and the town
The Ombudsman’s Office’s assessment covers not only Oleshki, as well as six neighbouring occupied settlements. According to Lubinets, there may be up to 2,000 civilians in the city itself. It remains to be seen exactly how many of them are prepared to leave.
Monitoring UN mission The Human Rights Organisation in Ukraine had previously estimated the population of Oleshky itself at around 1,700 people, including 47 children. The difference from the Ukrainian estimate is due to a different geographical scope.
Medicine shortages and international calls for a ceasefire
The city is short of food, drinking water and medicines. The Minister for Foreign Affairs Andriy Sibiga stated that the local hospital had effectively run out of essential medicines. Reuters reported that people are trying to leave via dangerous roads where there is still a risk of landmines; some residents are prevented from doing so by their age, ill health or a lack of safe transport.
Ukraine appealed to international humanitarian organisations to assist with the evacuation. 16 October Pope Leo XIV in a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin called for a ceasefire to be put in place to allow for the delivery of aid and the voluntary evacuation of people. The Kremlin stated his willingness to cooperate with the Vatican on humanitarian aid.
Drone deliveries remain a temporary measure
The Ukrainian military has twice delivered humanitarian aid to the occupied town of Oleshky using drones. The Ministry of the Interior reported on the second operation on 4 October: National Guard troops, in coordination with other units of the Defence Forces, delivered nearly 4 tonnes of cargo.
Around 400 parcels containing food, medicines and children’s kits have been delivered to the city. Such operations do not meet the needs of people who have been in isolation for a long time. As of 19 October, negotiations regarding a full-scale evacuation are ongoing.
