Evacuees from Russian-held Oleshky reunite with family on Ukrainian soil as truce holds

A humanitarian corridor opened in occupied Oleshky, Ukraine, allowing civilian evacuations after a truce held for over 30 hours.

After more than 1,700 days of war, a fragile truce opened a humanitarian corridor into Oleshky, a Russian-held city on the front lines of southern Ukraine where civilians have endured severe shortages of food and medicine. A convoy carrying supplies reached the besieged city while demining teams worked to clear routes to enable the evacuation of residents. Both Russian and Ukrainian officials confirmed that residents were successfully evacuated from Oleshky during what has been described as the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion began 4½ years ago. Kyiv reported no incidents in the 30 hours following the start of the truce, describing the corridor as holding. Evacuees have since arrived in Ukrainian-held territory, reuniting with family at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. Scenes at the crossing showed evacuees wrapped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags stepping off buses. The humanitarian operation was also facilitated by Belarus, which enabled the movement of at least some evacuees across its territory. One evacuee, Vladislav, resettled from Oleshky to Belarus, described the contrast with life under fire. 'Belarus is like another world — it is quiet, calm and safe here,' he told Belarusian state news agency BelTA, adding that nothing was 'banging' or 'flying' overhead. Oleshky, located on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River across from Kherson, has been under Russian control since the early stages of the full-scale invasion. Its residents faced prolonged isolation and supply shortages, making the confirmed evacuations and family reunifications a significant milestone in the city's wartime situation.

Why it matters

Oleshky's residents have been cut off from regular supplies under Russian occupation, making this one of the few structured humanitarian operations to reach them. The truce and corridor, if sustained, could allow more civilians to leave a frontline city that has seen no let-up in the broader war.

What's next

Demining of routes around Oleshky was ongoing as of the latest reporting, and how long the truce holds will determine whether further evacuations and aid deliveries can continue.

Key facts

• The truce around Oleshky had held for at least 30 hours with no reported incidents as of the latest update
• A humanitarian convoy carrying food and medicine reached the Russian-held city of Oleshky
• Demining operations were under way to keep the humanitarian corridor open
• Belarus participated in the humanitarian operation and received at least some evacuees from Oleshky
• Oleshky is a frontline city under Russian occupation, located across the Dnipro River from Kherson
• The events occurred on day 1,709 of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine

Bias & framing notes

The Guardian's two reports focus on the humanitarian situation from a Ukrainian and international perspective, treating the truce as a Kyiv-reported development and emphasizing civilian suffering under occupation. The BelTA report is Belarusian state media and frames Belarus's role positively through the personal testimony of an evacuee, with no critical context about the conflict or Russian occupation — its framing serves Belarusian government interests. The core facts (truce holding, evacuation under way, convoy delivering aid) are broadly consistent across sources, but the tone and emphasis differ sharply.

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