Evacuees from Oleshky reach Belarus en route to Ukraine amid US‑brokered truce

Four planes carrying Oleshky residents landed in Belarus on Saturday, following a bus convoy departure and a regional ceasefire said to be brokered by the U.S. first lady.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 31 Oct 2026 14:08:08 GMT

Hundreds of civilians from the Russian‑occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky arrived in Belarus on Saturday as part of a major evacuation mission carried out under a regional ceasefire.

What happened

Bus convoys carrying residents left Oleshky on Friday, the first day of a ceasefire in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region that began at 3 a.m. on Tuesday and was expected to run through Sunday evening. Four planes transporting evacuees landed in the south‑eastern Belarusian town of Gomel (referred to as Homel by Belarusian state media) on Saturday.

What the reports add

According to the Associated Press article republished by the Winnipeg Free Press, the evacuation is part of the most significant truce since Russia’s full‑scale invasion began 4½ years ago. Reuters (via Independent) noted that the Russian Ministry of Defence said evacuees destined for Ukrainian‑held territory were first taken to the Russian city of Anapa before boarding the planes to Belarus. Al Jazeera reported that the White House said U.S. First Lady Melania Trump helped broker the truce, and that Ukrainian parliament member David Arakhamia confirmed the four planes’ arrival.

What was said

Ukrainian parliament member David Arakhamia told Al Jazeera that the evacuees would be moved to Ukrainian territory “within hours.” The Independent cited Ukrainian human‑rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets as accompanying the group. Belarusian state media outlet Belta reported that rescue workers, medical teams and Red Cross volunteers met the arrivals in Gomel/Homel.

How it came about

The evacuation follows a week‑long buildup documented by Felo News, including the US‑brokered ceasefire enabling evacuation of Oleshky residents published on 30 October, which described the start of a 25‑bus convoy on 30 October and highlighted the role of Melania Trump in securing the truce. Earlier coverage also detailed the dire humanitarian situation in Oleshky, such as the starvation crisis reported on 17 October, noting fewer than 2,000 people remained in the town.

Key facts

Four planes carrying Oleshky evacuees landed in Belarus on Saturday. (aljazeera.com)
The evacuation followed bus convoys that left Oleshky on Friday under a regional ceasefire. (independent.co.uk)
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump was said to have helped broker the truce. (aljazeera.com)
Ukrainian human‑rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets accompanied the evacuees. (independent.co.uk)
Rescue workers, medical teams and Red Cross volunteers met the arrivals in Gomel/Homel. (aljazeera.com)