Oleshky residents after the humanitarian pause: 'We ate grass,' evacuation called 'a blessing'

Evacuation after the humanitarian pause

Residents of Oleshky — a destroyed city in Kherson region occupied by the Russian army in 2022 — were evacuated after a humanitarian pause announced on October 23 by US First Lady Melania Trump, who said the city was 'on the brink of catastrophe.' On Friday, Ukrainian and Russian officials jointly visited the city, delivering aid and evacuating those who wished to leave — a rare case of cooperation between the warring sides. This was reported by AFP.

Accounts from the evacuees

Residents who arrived in Ukraine by buses on Saturday, interviewed by an AFP journalist, described life in the city as extremely hard. Valera, 29, said people 'boiled grass,' growing it due to the lack of food, and some were forced to shoot and cook dogs. According to him, the bodies of the dead and abandoned cars lay on the roads. Ivan, 70, said the last month had been 'very bad,' and his family survived on their own garden plot, sharing with neighbors. He also said that residents who cleared mines from the roads themselves in order to leave by car were blown up by mines; according to him, one of his relatives lost four vehicles while leaving the city.

Reunions and unknown figures

The AFP correspondent saw the arrivals, some carrying Ukrainian flags, embracing their loved ones. 19-year-old Yelyzaveta Palii was waiting for her father, whom she had not seen since the end of January 2024, when she left with her mother and sister. Her father called the evacuation 'a blessing' and said that 'there is no life there anymore.' According to Kyiv's estimates, about 2,000 residents remained in Oleshky before the humanitarian operation — compared with 24,000 before the 2022 invasion. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv named the number of evacuees, and the authorities of both countries previously indicated that many residents want to stay in the city even if the fighting resumes.