Three planes carrying residents evacuated from Oleshky arrive in Belarus
Three planes carrying residents evacuated from the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky landed at Gomel airport in Belarus, reports BritPanorama.
The evacuees, wishing to leave for Ukraine, travelled by bus via the Crimean peninsula to the Russian town of Anapa before flying to Belarus. They will proceed to Ukraine via a border crossing, according to the Belta state news agency.
Starving and exhausted residents were evacuated by bus on Friday as part of a joint relief operation by the opposing sides, marking the first of its kind in four years and eight months of war.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Kyiv while warning that the deliveries could take years. He stated that the stockpiles were urgently needed to counter mounting Russian ballistic missile attacks as the war approaches another winter.
The US State Department recently approved the sale of these missiles to Ukraine for an estimated £1.5 billion, signifying a significant step in supplying defensive weapons to Kyiv under the Trump administration.
The humanitarian operation for Oleshky took place amid an ongoing humanitarian convoy set up by Ukrainian officials, tasked with delivering aid to the city, including food and medical supplies. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman and chief negotiator, described the aid mission as “unique” and expressed hope for similar future operations to assist other affected communities in Ukraine.
This development comes as Russia continues to launch drone strikes against Ukraine, with recent attacks reportedly causing power outages for around 280,000 families in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, intensifying the humanitarian crisis ahead of winter.
As the conflict persists, the situation remains fluid, with both nations under pressure to navigate the complex dynamics of war while addressing immediate humanitarian needs.
