Starved and exhausted residents from the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky have crossed into Ukraine in a major return of civilians under the first humanitarian truce of its kind in more than four years of the war.
asserted
residents → control → war
The six-day local ceasefire in Oleshky was reached after mediation efforts by US first lady Melania Trump and with the Pope’s involvement.
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ceasefire → reach → involvement
“As of now, Ukrainian citizens from Oleshky have crossed the Ukrainian border in the Chernihiv region.
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citizens → cross → region
All of them will receive the assistance they need,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, thanking the United States and Melania Trump for mediation.
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Zelensky → receive → mediation
Ukrainian officials greeted the evacuees with posters saying, “You’re not alone” and “We embrace with our hearts”.
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We → greet → hearts
One evacuee, an elderly man in a wheelchair, said he had lost 20 kilograms over the past year, becoming so weak that he required hospital treatment.
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he → say → treatment
Another resident, Svitlana Yermakova, said they had to eat grass to survive food shortages.
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they → say → shortages
“We chopped grass and squash ... just to hold on,” she said, adding that she risked riding by bicycle through minefields to a nearby village to get food for herself and her dog, Manila.
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she → chop → herself
Complicated journey to Ukraine
To reach Ukrainian-held territory, Oleshky residents had to take a complicated route to leave the devastated town just a few kilometres away from the front line.
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residents → reach → line
They first travelled by bus via Crimea to the Russian town of Anapa, before flying to Belarus, from where they continued to Ukraine.
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they → travel → Ukraine
A video shared by Ukraine’s ombudsman showed dozens of Oleshky residents slowly disembarking from a plane at a Belarusian airfield.
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dozens → share → airfield
Some required help to walk, and a few were carried on stretchers or in wheelchairs.
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few → require → wheelchairs
They carried minimal luggage – only a bag or two.
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They → carry → luggage
Dogs were unloaded from the plane in cages.
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Dogs → unload → cages
As several big buses crossed into Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region from Belarus, the residents were greeted by relatives.
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residents → cross → relatives
Many cried.
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Many → cry → ?
Ambulances lined the street and several large military tents were erected where hot meals, tea and medical aid were provided.
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meals → line → street
Pet food and water bottles were piled up on several tables.
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food → pile → tables
“We have come a complicated way: from negotiations and agreeing on a ceasefire to delivering humanitarian aid directly to Oleshky and organising the evacuation of civilians,” said Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman.
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Lubinets → come → civilians
The ceasefire has been holding since Tuesday without violations, according to both Ukrainian and Russian officials.
uncertain
ceasefire → hold → officials
It has allowed them to de-mine the roads and bring food, medicines and other supplies into the town.
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them → allow → town
Supply routes to Oleshky were disrupted by fighting and drones.
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routes → disrupt → fighting
According to some residents, food deliveries were stopped in May, pushing hundreds of people into starvation.
uncertain
deliveries → accord → starvation
The ceasefire will end on Sunday.
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ceasefire → end → Sunday
Lubinets said the oldest returning resident was 94, while the youngest was a baby just over one.
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youngest → say → ?
Lubinets gave no exact numbers on how many people had returned to Ukraine.
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people → give → Ukraine
Some residents decided to go to Russia, while others elected to remain in Oleshky, despite the lack of gas, electricity and running water.
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others → decide → gas
Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova said living conditions in the town remained difficult, and that she would continue to work with Lubinets, her Ukrainian counterpart, to help those who stayed.
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who → say → those
“The mission has come to an end,” she said on Telegram.
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she → come → Telegram
“We have agreed to carry out regular humanitarian missions, which is a very important step.”
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which → agree → missions
Oleshky had a pre-war population of about 24,000.
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Oleshky → have → 24,000
Before the evacuation, an estimated 1700 remained.
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1700 → estimate → evacuation
It was devastated after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023 and the flooding of the nearby areas.
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It → devastate → areas
Fighting rages on in other parts of the front
Despite the ceasefire on the southern Kherson front, fighting raged elsewhere.
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fighting → rag → front
Both Russia and Ukraine also kept up their drone attacks.
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Russia → keep → attacks
Zelensky said Russia had attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure, hitting electricity substations, thermal power plants and gas infrastructure.
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Russia → say → substations
Ukraine’s military said it had hit a major Russian producer of missile fuel in the Rostov region.
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it → say → region
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Ukrainian and Russian ombudsmen had a good dialogue and had gradually begun to trust each other as they worked together during the Oleshky ceasefire, Russia’s Vedomosti reported.
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Vedomosti → say → ceasefire
But the Kremlin said on Friday it was an isolated situation, which was difficult to extrapolate to the broader peace process.
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which → say → process
Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US are due to resume talks in Abu Dhabi this month after discussions were suspended in February following the outbreak of the war in Iran.
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discussions → resume → Iran
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
