Four planes evacuated residents from Oleshky, a town in Ukraine under Russian control, landing in Belarus as part of a U.S.-backed ceasefire. This ceasefire, the longest humanitarian pause in nearly five years of conflict, allowed for the safe passage of hundreds of starving residents who had faced severe food shortages since May.
Ukrainian peace negotiator David Arakhamia confirmed that all evacuated citizens would soon return to Ukraine. The evacuation route was complicated due to the proximity of the frontline, requiring residents to travel through Crimea and Anapa before reaching Belarus. The ceasefire, facilitated by U.S.
First Lady Melania Trump and the pope, has enabled the delivery of essential supplies to Oleshky, where approximately 1,700 residents remain from a pre-war population of about 24,000, many of whom are elderly or ill. This situation underscores the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region and the challenges faced by civilians caught in the conflict