Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets says Kyiv and moscow are close to agreeing a local ceasefire to bring civilians out of occupied Oleshky. Pope Leo XIV and Zelensky also discussed the town.
Ukraine and russia are moving closer to an agreement on evacuating civilians from occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on 18 October. No final deal has been announced, so this is a process still under way. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows such developments closely, because they concern people who have lived under constant threat for years.
According to the ombudsman, the sides are discussing a local ceasefire that would allow people to be taken straight to Ukrainian-controlled territory. The talks cover not only Oleshky but also neighbouring occupied settlements in Kherson Oblast. One of the routes under consideration, as the Kyiv Independent notes, would run through russia and Belarus before reaching Ukraine.
On 19 October, Zelensky and Pope Leo XIV discussed the humanitarian situation in Oleshky and hopes for a ceasefire there. For Volunteers Support Ukraine it matters that the evacuation of civilians is being raised at the level of international figures: attention to places like this keeps the people who remain from being forgotten.
In September, Lubinets said more than 6,000 people, including about 200 children, may still be in Oleshky and the surrounding villages. His office has verified 358 people who need urgent help. The figures show the scale of the humanitarian problem, even if the real number keeps changing.
Until the agreement is confirmed there are no guarantees: the ceasefire has to be settled and the route made safe. Volunteers Support Ukraine continues to help people affected by the war in whatever way its available resources allow.
