World · 2026-10-31 · Afternoon briefing

Ceasefire allows civilians to leave occupied Ukrainian city

Residents from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky arrived in Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday, following a temporary ceasefire. The deal, which began on Tuesday and is set to run through Sunday evening, was brokered by the U.S. first lady, Melania Trump, and also supported by Pope Leo XIV. The civilians travelled by bus and plane through Russia and Belarus to a border crossing.

The estimated 2,000 remaining residents of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, were offered the choice to evacuate to either Ukrainian or Russian territory, or remain with new supplies. While Ukrainian authorities did not disclose the number of evacuees, the humanitarian convoy had capacity for over 750 people. At the border, relatives waited for family members they had not seen in years.

The humanitarian corridor provided a brief respite from the wider conflict. On the same day, Russia’s defence ministry claimed to have shot down 433 Ukrainian drones overnight. Meanwhile, Ukraine's leader, Mr Zelenskyy, said Russian drone attacks on energy infrastructure had left 280,000 households in the Dnipro and Kyiv regions without power.

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• Residents evacuated from Russia-occupied Oleshky arrive back in Ukraine amid temporary U.S.-brokered ceasefire
• Civilians evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky arrive in Ukraine-held territory
• Civilians from Russian-occupied Oleshky arrive in Belarus on their way to Ukraine
• Evacuated residents from Russian-occupied city finally arrive in Ukraine after ceasefire brokered by Melania Trump
• Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky reach Ukraine after localized ceasefire

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