Evacuees from occupied Oleski already in Belarus. What's next for civilians?

All four planes with people evacuated from Oleski, occupied by Russian troops, reached Gomel in the south-east of Belarus.

"The last, fourth plane landed in Gomel. In just a few hours, all Ukrainian citizens evacuated from Oleski, together with the Ukrainian delegation, will be on the territory of Ukraine," he wrote after hours. 12 in the Telegram messenger Ukrainian MP Davyd Arachamija.

The evacuees, which included elderly people, children and numerous pets, were first transported by buses to the Russian city of Anapa on the Black Sea, from where they then flew to Belarus.

A temporary tent camp was prepared for them at the airport in Gomel.

Temporary truce and the role of Melania Trump

The evacuation was made possible thanks to a temporary truce negotiated by representatives of Russia and Ukraine. According to information provided by the White House, the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump, contributed to the conclusion of the agreement. The truce has been in force since October 27 and is to last until November 1 at 10:59 p.m.

Melania Trump announced that the ceasefire had been extended beyond Oleski to allow humanitarian convoys to reach other towns in need. This made it possible not only to provide aid, but also to evacuate the most at-risk residents.

Difficult situation for civilians

Oleski, located just a few kilometers from Kherson, has been under Russian occupation for months. The access roads to the city were mined and Russian drones patrolled the area, preventing residents from escaping on their own. According to estimates, about 2,000 people, including 50 children, were without access to food and drinking water in the city.

According to the arrangements, the evacuees are to return to Ukraine through the Belarusian-Ukrainian border crossing Nowa Huta-Nowe Jarylovychy.