Residents of a Russian-occupied Ukrainian city are fearing they’ll be shipped off to Russia and barred from returning home — even as they flee a humanitarian crisis under a ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump.
The truce in Oleshky, a city in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region occupied by Russian forces since the first day of the invasion in Feb. 2022, is intended to allow citizens to escape after months of dwindling supplies.
But residents are worried that those who would want to return to Ukrainian-controlled areas could instead be taken to Russia or occupied Crimea.
“The local residents of Oleshky are deeply concerned that the Russians will not stick to their demands, take them to Russia, and not transport them to Ukraine,” Oksana Pohomii, a deputy of the Kherson city council, told The Telegraph.
“People are currently busy filling out forms, those who have decided to try and leave,” she said, adding that demining had begun along the planned evacuation route.
However, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, posted on X on Wednesday stating that “30 hours of the ceasefire in Oleshky have passed without a single incident.”
“Our shared goal is to ensure that civilians in Oleshky receive assistance and to create the conditions for the safe departure of those who need it,” he added. “We continue our work. What matters most is people’s lives and safety.”
It still remains unclear how Russian authorities will treat Ukrainians evacuated from Oleshky and whether Russian occupation authorities will provide the residents a “legitimate and duress-free choice” to return to Ukraine, according to an Institute for the Study of War assessment.
On Oct. 27, Vladimir Putin described Oleshky as a “Russian settlement” in a phone call, despite it remaining a Ukrainian territory under international law.
Institute for the Study of War states that Russian authorities “may insist that Ukrainian citizens who live under Russian occupation in Oleshky and received Russian passports are now Russian citizens without legal recourse on how to return to Ukraine.”
The White House said that both sides had agreed to temporarily halt military action in Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid to enter and prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway.
The ceasefire held Tuesday, and neither Russia nor Ukraine has reported violations as of Wednesday. The agreement, however, does not outline how Russian authorities must treat Oleshky residents, or whether authorities will allow them to return to Ukraine.
A volunteer helping evacuate residents said that the pause in fighting had allowed people to move around the city, but a lack of electricity, internet and working phones was complicating efforts to get civilians out.
“Living there has become impossible. It’s hell on earth,” the volunteer told The Telegraph, describing conditions that have persisted since January.
Oleshky, which was once home to around 24,000 people, has been devastated by years of fighting. Buildings have been shelled and burned, while damaged infrastructure and scarce supplies have left residents struggling to survive.
The city sits alongside the Dnipro River, which separates Ukrainian forces from Russian troops occupying the area.
Melania Trump announced the ceasefire last Friday, saying civilian officials from Russia and Ukraine would visit residents in their homes to determine the assistance they needed.
“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination,” Melania said on Friday. “I anticipate that some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.”
The first lady has also taken a leading role in efforts to reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russia during the war with their families. Her efforts have helped more than two dozen children return home.
Journalists from Newsmax will be on site in Oleshky to monitor the evacuation.
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