Ukrainian authorities want to build on the recent evacuation of civilians from Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson region by organizing humanitarian operations in other communities under Russian control. Participants in the negotiations described the possibility to reporters for an article published on November 4. No agreed plan for another mission has been announced.
The evacuation from Oleshky took place during a local ceasefire from October 27 to November 1, allowing food and medicines to be delivered to the city. An estimate cited in the report put the number evacuated at about 750 out of roughly 2,000 civilians who remained there. Twenty-five buses were deployed. According to Ukrainian and international sources, around a quarter of those evacuated went to Russia and the remaining three-quarters to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Not everyone was able to reach the evacuation routes. Volunteer Kseniya Arkhipova said some residents who wanted to leave could not get through checkpoints, while others with limited mobility could not be evacuated.
Ukraine's parliamentary human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, called for better coordination of civilians' return and said there were plans to create a specialized support center for returnees. According to Le Monde, Kyiv sought an extension of the local ceasefire, but Moscow did not agree.
Ukraine's General Staff alleged that Russian forces used the humanitarian pause to reinforce military positions. Lubinets disputed that assessment, saying the movements of equipment seen in video footage were related to demining permitted under the agreement.
US first lady Melania Trump was involved in preparations for the humanitarian contacts, according to participants and the White House. A meeting involving Russian and Ukrainian representatives to discuss humanitarian issues was scheduled for November 5 in Washington.