More than 750 residents evacuated from Russia-occupied Oleshky arrive back in Ukraine amid temporary U.S.-brokered ceasefire

Crossing into Ukrainian-held territory

Residents who left Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday under a U.S.-brokered temporary ceasefire. Russia has occupied the city in Ukraine’s southeastern Kherson region since the opening days of the war.

Officials did not disclose how many people left or where they crossed. Organizers said the restrictions were intended to protect residents who remained and future humanitarian operations. A U.S. first lady wrote on social media Friday that the convoy could safely evacuate more than 750 people.

Choices for those remaining

The city was described as one of the conflict’s most severe humanitarian crises. The number who chose to leave has not been specified by Russia or Ukraine.

Families wait at the border

Relatives gathered Saturday at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, where aid tents, coffee stands and food for evacuees’ pets were available. Volunteers from the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and World Central Kitchen were also present.

Liza Paliy, 19, was waiting for her father. She had last seen him more than two and a half years earlier, when she, her mother and sister fled the occupied territory while he stayed behind.

Daria Pavlyn was also hoping to reunite with her father, Mykhailo, from whom she had not heard in about a month. Pavlyn said he walked them to the road, recalling, “that was the last time” they saw him.

Reports of attacks and damage

Local officials reported Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia’s Bashkortostan republic. Russian media outlets reported a fire in Ufa, the regional capital and home to several oil refineries. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday that its forces had shot down 433 Ukrainian drones overnight. The report also described attacks on energy facilities in Kyiv, Sumy and Dnipro regions, as well as railway infrastructure in Dnipro and Kharkiv; repair crews were working to restore power.