A Rare Ceasefire Let Starving Residents Escape Russian-Held Oleshky
After months without food deliveries, civilians left through Crimea, Russia and Belarus under a six-day pause in fighting.
Reuters World News · Gen Z protests, Oleshky and a possible Democratic CongressDaria and Yelizaveta Pali embraced their father Mikhailo in Ukraine on Saturday after his bus arrived from Oleshky. He had come from a southern Ukrainian town under Russian control, where he had been going hungry for months. They were already planning dinner at home.
"So we bought salt and will cook borscht for him," Yelizaveta said. Borscht is a beet soup common in Ukraine, and this pot would be a proper meal for him.
Their reunion came during the first joint relief operation by Ukraine and Russia since the fighting began more than four years ago. Starving residents of Oleshky have begun evacuating under a rare six-day local ceasefire, the longest quiet period in one place since the full invasion started in 2022.
The pause had to be that long because the rescue is happening in stages. Supply roads into Oleshky had been cut by fighting and drones, and residents said food deliveries stopped months ago, leaving hundreds of people short of food. Before buses could move, crews spent several days clearing mines from the roads. Elena Hamash, reporting from Kyiv, said the ceasefire has held so far with no reported violations, a rarity in this war.
Even with the quiet, the way out was roundabout. To reach Ukrainian-held territory, residents rode by bus through Crimea to Anapa, a town in Russia, then flew to Belarus before continuing into Ukraine. Footage released by Ukraine's human rights official showed many of those arriving were elderly, and some needed help to walk while others had to be brought in on stretchers or pushed in wheelchairs.
Hunger had worn people down. One family of three said they had lived for weeks by splitting a cupful of dry staples between them each day.
What the operation means is disputed. Some officials on the Ukrainian side said it could become an example for wider de-escalation. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, speaking for the Russian government, said it was a special case that would be very difficult to apply to broader talks on ending the war.
For the Pali sisters, the meaning was closer to home, with salt bought and soup planned for their father.
Questions people ask
Where is Oleshky and why was it so hard to get food in?
Oleshky sits in Russian-held territory in southern Ukraine, near the city of Kherson and close to an active front line. When fighting moves near supply roads, trucks stop running and drones make travel dangerous, so regular food deliveries can be cut off for weeks or months.
Why did evacuees have to go through Russia and Belarus to reach Ukraine?
There was no safe direct road across the front line, so civilians had to loop around it through territory controlled by Russia. The route went through Crimea to Anapa in Russia, then by plane to Belarus, which borders Ukraine, before reentering Ukraine.
What happens to evacuees right after they arrive?
They are typically registered by Ukrainian officials, given medical checks, food, and temporary shelter, and helped to contact relatives. Older people and those who arrived on stretchers or in wheelchairs usually get priority medical care, followed by longer-term housing and assistance.