Four planes with evacuees from Oleshky arrive in Gomel — RMF24

Four planes carrying residents of temporarily occupied Oleshky arrived in Gomel, Belarus. The evacuation was carried out during a temporary ceasefire agreed by representatives of Ukraine and Russia, the aggressor state. RMF24 reports this.

Evacuation route

According to the outlet, the evacuees include elderly people, children and pets. First, people were transported by bus to the Russian city of Anapa on the Black Sea coast, from where they flew to Belarus. A temporary tent camp was set up for them at Gomel airport.

Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia said on Telegram that the last, fourth plane had landed in Gomel. According to him, within several hours, the evacuated Ukrainian citizens, together with the Ukrainian delegation, are expected to be on Ukrainian territory.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Terms of the temporary ceasefire

Oleshky remains under temporary occupation by Russian troops. It is estimated that around 2,000 people, including 50 children, were in the city without access to food and drinking water. The roads to the city are mined, while Russian drones patrolled the surrounding area, making it difficult for civilians to evacuate independently.

The ceasefire has been in effect since October 27 and, according to RMF24, is to last until November 1 at 22:59. The White House said that US First Lady Melania Trump helped facilitate the agreement. She also announced the expansion of the ceasefire beyond Oleshky so that humanitarian convoys could reach other settlements.

The evacuees are to return to Ukraine through the Nova Huta — Novi Yarylovychi checkpoint. As the Financial Times notes, people who agree to evacuation must first travel through Russia or temporarily occupied Crimea before returning to territory controlled by Ukraine.