Nearly 800 people evacuated from occupied Oleshky – Melania Trump
The first lady announced the results in a post on X, replying to a post by Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Rubryka reports.
She called the mission a success and thanked Ukraine and Russia for working together.
As part of the mission, Oleshky residents could choose whether to go to Ukraine or Russia after leaving the occupied city. It's not yet clear how many chose to return to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
On October 23, 2026, Ukraine and Russia confirmed an agreement to conduct a humanitarian mission in Oleshky, a town across from Kherson on the left bank of the Dnipro River. According to the White House, Melania Trump and her team helped broker the deal. Dmytro Lubinets, a Ukrainian human rights commissioner, led Ukraine's negotiating team. Russia was represented by his counterpart, Lantratova.
A ceasefire began on October 27 to allow the mission to go ahead safely. Two days later, crews finished clearing mines from the evacuation routes and prepared a humanitarian convoy.
On October 30, a Ukrainian delegation arrived in the occupied town of Oleshky to carry out the mission. Under the agreement, evacuees traveled through Russia and Belarus before reaching Ukraine.
The route was chosen because of security risks along the front line. Travel in the area is restricted, and crossing the river wasn't an option: the surrounding area is mined and lies right next to the front.
Lubinets previously shared the ages of those evacuated. The oldest person was 94. The youngest was just over a year old. People were also allowed to bring their pets.
More than 60 animals, mostly cats and dogs, were also evacuated from Oleshky. All are alive, but badly weakened. They're now undergoing veterinary checkups.
Ukraine's General Staff, meanwhile, reported that Russian forces were exploiting the ceasefire for military purposes. It said Russian troops rotated units, strengthened their positions, expanded anti-drone defenses along roads, and improved their supply routes near occupied Oleshky while the ceasefire was in effect.
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2 of November 2026
