Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky reach Ukraine during a local truce

Summary

Residents of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky who had asked to be evacuated were reunited with loved ones in Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday, October 31, during a localised ceasefire in place since Tuesday, according to France 24. The city, on the front line, faces a humanitarian crisis, with civilians lacking even the most basic necessities. Le Monde reports that around 700 people left Oleshky during a six-day ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. Residents described years of isolation, food shortages and regular shelling, and some said they were forced to eat grass and dogs to survive. Russian forces seized the city in the early days of the 2022 invasion, and it remains cut off by the Dnipro River on one side and Russian troops on the other. Le Monde reports that the population left behind has suffered severe shortages of food and medicine.

Timeline

1. France 24

   1 Nov 2026, 14:56 UTCSource ↗

   France 24 reports that residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky reached Ukrainian-held territory after a rare local truce, describing years of isolation, food shortages and regular shelling, and saying some were forced to eat grass and dogs to survive.

2. France 24

   1 Nov 2026, 17:44 UTCSource ↗

   France 24 reports that Oleshky residents who had requested evacuation were reunited with their loved ones in Ukraine on Saturday, October 31, during a localised ceasefire in place since Tuesday, and that the front-line city under Russian occupation is facing a humanitarian crisis.

3. Le Monde

   2 Nov 2026, 11:00 UTCSource ↗

   Le Monde reports that around 700 people managed to leave Oleshky during a six-day ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, and that the city, occupied by Russian forces for four years and located on the front lines, has an abandoned population suffering severe shortages of food and medicine.