The evacuation of those wishing to leave for Ukraine has been completed in the occupied town of Oleshky

All residents of the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region who wished to travel to territory controlled by Ukraine have been able to leave the town. Buses were organised for the evacuation, whilst those who chose to stay were supplied with food, water, medicines and hospital equipment. The evacuees are currently on their way.

This was reported on the evening of 30 October by Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights, who travelled to Oleshky in person as part of a humanitarian mission.

The operation was carried out jointly with the Russian Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, through the mediation of the US First Lady, Melania Trump.

Dmytro Lubinets stated that the humanitarian mission has entered its final stage. According to him, they have managed to deliver aid to local residents and organise the evacuation of everyone who wished to leave.

«In fact, we are moving into the final stage of our humanitarian mission, which we are carrying out jointly with Yana Valeriivna Lantratova and her team. And thanks to the coordinating role played by the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump. Today we have already visited Oleshky, delivered humanitarian aid and created the conditions to help everyone,» said Dmytro Lubinets.

According to him, a large consignment of humanitarian aid has been delivered to the town. Some of it has already been distributed to local residents, whilst the rest is due to be handed out later.

Separate aid is being provided to people who have decided not to leave the occupied town.

«First and foremost, those who are staying there have asked for food, water, medicines and specialised equipment to be delivered to the hospital. This has been done. For those who requested assistance to leave Oleshky, this was also organised systematically,» said the Ombudsman.

He noted that whilst in Oleshky, representatives of the humanitarian mission were approached by residents who did not wish to leave their homes.

«Even today, people came up to us saying they wanted to stay here, and there are such people. And it is precisely to provide for them and support them that humanitarian aid is being directed,» said Dmytro Lubinets.

Separate buses were prepared for the evacuation of those who wished to travel to territory controlled by Ukraine, and those who chose to travel to Russia.

«Those who want to go to Ukraine, those who want to go to the Russian Federation — everyone was given that opportunity. We saw this for ourselves. In fact, our agencies and staff from both offices were directly involved in this today, not merely as observers, but actually helping people who wanted to leave,» he noted.

According to the Ombudsman, the evacuation was organised so that people could leave with their belongings and pets.

Passengers handed over large suitcases to a separate transport service, receiving luggage tags. Cages and a separate bus were prepared for the transport of pets.

«The process was organised in such a way that people did not take large suitcases onto the buses. Separate transport was provided for this purpose. People handed them in and received tags. It all works perfectly, and even whilst we were there, we saw how people were handing in their suitcases. The data is being processed very quickly,» said Dmytro Lubinets.

The Ombudsman also reported that representatives from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides were present on every bus. They helped people board and checked that there was enough space for everyone.

«Staff from both our organisations are working on every bus. That is, there are staff from Yana Valeriivna’s office, from the Russian organisation, and my own staff, who are ensuring there is enough space for everyone. Everyone is getting through; there are no obstacles,» he said.

Moreover, even people who hadn’t registered in advance were able to be evacuated.

«There have already been cases where people turned up who hadn’t registered. They were given the same opportunity: «Please, come on board if you want to leave Oleshky.» There is full support. Our teams are continuing to work, and everything is being done to ensure that every citizen receives the assistance they need today,» said Dmytro Lubinets.

In total, 25 buses with a capacity of 750 seats and ambulances have been prepared for the evacuation for people who are unable to move around independently.

According to a statement by the US First Lady, Melania Trump, the humanitarian operation involved the evacuation of over 750 people. However, the final number of those who have left Oleshky has not yet been specified.

Residents who have decided to travel to territory controlled by Ukraine are travelling via Russia and Belarus. Therefore, after leaving Oleshky, they still have to cover part of the route to Ukraine.

Dmytro Lubinets also reported that, throughout the humanitarian mission, both sides adhered to the ceasefire agreements. According to him, as of the evening of 30 October, the ceasefire had been in place for 87 hours, and no violations had been recorded during that time.

«We reached Oleshky without incident, as far as is possible under such circumstances, and the ceasefire is being fully observed. We stress and emphasise that there has not been a single breach since the ceasefire came into effect,» he said.

The Ombudsman described this humanitarian mission as unique and noted that similar operations should be carried out in other occupied settlements where people continue to live in difficult conditions.

«Together with Yana Valeriivna, we have done everything we can to ensure that this unique experience is replicated in other settlements where people are currently living in conditions similar to those experienced by the people of Oleshky,» said Dmytro Lubinets.

He also thanked the US First Lady, Melania Trump, for her help in organising the mission.

«I would like to address Melania Trump specifically to thank her for her leadership, for her humanity, for her commitment to addressing humanitarian issues, and for using her influence to do everything possible to save those citizens who are right here among us. «Look at these people; they were saved by Melania Trump and thanks to our coordination,» said Dmytro Lubinets.

How the humanitarian mission in Oleshky was prepared

It should be recalled that the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky, on the left bank of the Kherson region, has been facing a difficult humanitarian situation for some time. Due to hostilities and damage to infrastructure, local residents have limited access to food, drinking water and medicines. According to Ukrainian estimates, around two thousand people remained in the town.

NikVesti previously reported that the Ukrainian military had delivered almost four tonnes of humanitarian aid to the occupied town of Oleshky using drones. The consignment included food, medicines and other essential items.

On 23 October, it emerged that Ukraine and Russia, with the mediation of US First Lady Melania Trump, had agreed to carry out a humanitarian mission in Oleshky. The agreement provided for a temporary ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid and the possibility of evacuating civilians.

At 03:00 on 27 October, a ceasefire came into effect in the Oleshky area. Under the terms of the agreement, it was to last until the end of 1 November to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian convoys and the safe evacuation of people.

On 28 October, Dmytro Lubinets announced that residents of Oleshky would be able to choose for themselves where to go — to territory controlled by Ukraine or to Russia. Those who decided to stay were promised humanitarian aid.

On 29 October, the Ombudsman announced that the clearance of designated routes along which the humanitarian convoy was to pass had been completed.

On the morning of 30 October, it emerged that 25 buses with a total capacity of 750 seats and ambulances had been prepared. Particular attention was paid to people with disabilities, elderly residents and those unable to move about independently.

Subsequently, a Ukrainian delegation led by Dmytro Lubinets arrived in Oleshky. At that time, the Ombudsman reported that the ceasefire had lasted for 80 hours without any breaches. Residents who had chosen to evacuate to Ukraine would be returning via Russia and Belarus.