'We escaped from hell': Starving Ukrainians who ate grass return home from Russian-occupied Oleshky under Melania Trump's ceasefire
Residents of Oleshky meet a Ukrainian delegation, as evacuees face a gruelling onward route through Russian-occupied territory to Anapa, then by plane to Gomel in Belarus, before crossing into Ukraine's Chernihiv region.Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's ombudsman, with Russian Aerospace Forces personnel in Gomel, Belarus, after both commissioners jointly asked Melania Trump to lead further regular humanitarian missions once the evacuation…
Hundreds of starving civilians from Russian-occupied Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday, wrapping themselves in blue and yellow flags as they reunited with relatives at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. The six-day localised ceasefire — the longest humanitarian pause since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 — was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump with involvement from Pope Leo XIV. President Zelensky confirmed the crossings into Ukraine's Chernihiv region, thanking the US and Melania Trump directly.
One evacuee said she had ridden a bicycle through minefields to find food for herself and her dog; another had lost 20 kg in a year and needed hospital treatment.
Evacuees made a journey of over 1,000 miles via Russian-annexed Crimea, the Russian city of Anapa and Belarus before finally reaching Ukrainian soil.
Tetiana Leonidivna, 71, wept as she praised Ukrainian soldiers: 'We love them, we love them — a deep bow to them and to their parents.'
