Emotional reunions as evacuees escape Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky

Emotional scenes unfolded in Ukraine on Saturday as residents evacuated from the devastated Russian-occupied city of Oleshky crossed from Belarus into Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, reuniting with relatives they had not seen in years.

Families embraced in tears as they welcomed loved ones arriving after enduring years of hardship near the front line. Two sisters, Dasha and Anya Palii, ran toward a bus carrying their father, Mykhailo, shouting and crying as they finally saw him again after three years of uncertainty. Their mother, Zhanna, held his face in her hands, repeatedly touching his forehead. He eventually promised her they would get married.

Some elderly evacuees were so weak they had to be transported on stretchers. Residents described being trapped in Oleshky without reliable access to food, water or electricity. Some reportedly survived by cooking herbs grown in their gardens.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for her efforts to negotiate a local ceasefire that helped make the evacuation possible. He also praised Ukrainian officials and regional authorities involved in assisting those who reached safety.

Among the evacuees were Tetiana and Volodymyr, an elderly couple who carried their cat with them. They told BBC News that their home had burned down during the first year of the war and that they had been living in an abandoned neighbor’s house. They now face the challenge of finding somewhere to live and rebuilding their lives.

The evacuation involved a complicated journey through territory occupied by Russian forces, southern Russia and Belarus before residents crossed into northern Ukraine by road. According to Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, the oldest evacuee was 94, while the youngest was just one year old.

A humanitarian ceasefire took effect in the Kherson border region on Tuesday, allowing authorities to clear mines from the road leading out of the city and facilitate the evacuation. Residents were given four hours to leave before a convoy of 25 buses, with capacity for up to 750 people, departed on Friday afternoon alongside ambulances for those with limited mobility.

The ceasefire was scheduled to remain in effect through Sunday, November 1. However, several hundred residents reportedly chose to remain in Oleshky, despite widespread destruction and the lack of basic utilities. Ukrainian officials said humanitarian assistance would continue to be provided to those who stayed.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Oleshky had a population of approximately 24,000. Escape routes had become extremely dangerous because of landmines and drone attacks, while bridges across the nearby Dnipro River had been destroyed.

The operation required cooperation between Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, who traveled to Oleshky on Friday. Lubinets described the coordination as necessary to save lives.

For those who managed to leave, the reunion with their families marked the end of years of uncertainty, although many now face the difficult task of starting over.