In brief
On November 1, 2026, Ukrainian forces evacuated 167 civilians from the Kherson region, including 22 children and 21 persons with limited mobility, as the six‑day ceasefire in Oleshky approached midnight. The truce had been brokered with the help of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo. Russian officials said they viewed the evacuation positively, while the Kherson governor urged vigilance as Russia’s strikes on the Dnipro continued.
On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Ukraine’s military transferred 167 civilians—22 children and 21 people with limited mobility—from threatened areas of the southern Kherson region to safer points within the same region as the six‑day Oleshky ceasefire neared midnight Moscow time.
Units of civil‑military cooperation from the “South” group, cooperating with local authorities, conducted the operation, according to a telegram from the Ukrainian General Staff. The evacuees were moved from front‑line zones to locations where they could access food, clean water and medical care without the constant threat of attack.
The ceasefire had been brokered after mediation efforts by U.S. first lady Melania Trump and with the involvement of Pope Leo. By Saturday, exhausted residents of the Russian‑held town of Oleshky fled by bus to Crimea, then by air to Belarus, and finally to Ukraine, with 25 buses and nine ambulances carrying them before splitting into separate convoys.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the evacuation took place two days after the town of Oleshky was emptied of civilians, a move that followed the truce’s successful enforcement without violations for four days. Both Ukrainian and Russian officials noted that the ceasefire allowed de‑mining of roads and delivery of supplies into the town.
Melania Trump wrote on X that the ceasefire “has provided residents with the freedom to move, access to food, clean water, medicine, plus a renewed sense of dignity without the constant threat of attack.”
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had a positive view of how the evacuation was conducted in Oleshky and praised the coordination between the human rights commissioners of the two countries.
The governor of Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, urged residents to remain vigilant as the ceasefire’s expiry approached, warning that Russian strikes on the Dnipro river remained intense and that “red zones” near the river should be avoided.
Although Ukraine’s forces had recaptured most of the Kherson region—including the provincial capital—the town of Oleshky remained in Russian control until the February 2022 invasion. The Sunday ceasefire, with no reported violations, has been praised as the longest pause in fighting since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
The Pope said he hoped cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in implementing the Oleshky ceasefire would pave the way for broader peace efforts, underscoring the importance of local truces in the wider conflict.
The evacuation underscored the continuing humanitarian strains in southern Ukraine. While military action continued elsewhere in the country on Sunday, the successful truce and subsequent evacuation set an example of civilian protection amid ongoing hostilities.
