The Oleshky ceasefire brokered by First Lady Melania Trump came into effect earlier than it was initially scheduled to be.
Many residents told the BBC that they started cooking garden weeds to survive, as they are suffering from extreme hunger. Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water,” said Melania Trump said. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible. ” “Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” the First Lady said.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. “The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination.
Before the war, Oleshky was home to 24,000 people, but it was seized by Russia during the first days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Now, around 6,000 people, including 200 children, remain in Oleshky and its surrounding areas with only 1,700 still living in the city itself.
I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” she said. Earlier reporting noted: Former residents told AFP earlier this year that remaining residents were starving, forced to hunt pigeons or subsist on whatever they had in their garden. Much of the city’s population has been displaced or evacuated. Escaping Oleshky is equally dangerous as staying in the city, as all routes out of the city have been mined and are subject to drone attacks. No shops are open in the city and there has been no electricity, gas, or water for three years.
Earlier reporting noted: “Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. Earlier reporting noted: Other videos have shown Ukrainian authorities using drones to dispatch medicine and food to remaining residents.