Dmytro had not seen his wife Larisa for 1,711 days. He had been counting.
Waiting near the border between Ukraine and Belarus, his eyes were fixed on the horizon, looking for the bus carrying Larisa and others fleeing the occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky. When the couple, both 54, finally reunited on Saturday, Dmytro kissed her over and over and held her with a determination that made it look like he would never let go.
Larisa’s diminished frame — she has lost a third of her body weight under the occupation — looked almost lost in his hands. But she held her head high, her blue eyes sparkling with joy. “It’s hard for everyone in the country,” she told CNN. “There are so many people in the same situation as me. We’re waiting for all this to end, for peace to come, and for victory.”
The Ceasefire
Hundreds of people — and many pets — arrived back in Ukraine on Saturday after being evacuated from the frontline city under a ceasefire that Pope Leo XIV called for and first lady Melania Trump helped negotiate.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the arrival of the evacuees on Telegram, thanking Trump for her help. “When the world pays attention, people are saved,” he said. The first lady wrote on X that “Oleshky proves we can raise humanity above war.”
Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets traveled to Oleshky to personally escort the evacuees, becoming the first high-profile Ukrainian official to openly travel to Russian-occupied areas since the war began.
“Now we have a unique positive experience how to negotiate with the Russian side with the coordination role of Melania Trump,” he told CNN.
The Suffering
The evacuees described months of starvation. Oleshky ran out of food and other supplies in September, with no access to electricity, gas, or medicine. Reports said people were surviving on grass and weeds. One woman said she had not had bread for more than a year, surviving on tomatoes and cucumbers she planted.
The director of the Chernihiv Regional Hospital, Andriy Zhydenko, was waiting at the border with medical staff. He said the effects of prolonged malnutrition would be a key concern, explaining that evacuees must be fed carefully because consuming too much food too quickly could be dangerous. “There are people with injuries, stroke survivors and those with limited mobility,” he said.
Oleksandr, another evacuee, said he has “never felt better in my life. It was like I’d escaped from hell. We couldn’t get any food. We just ate whatever people had left in their apartments — canned goods, pickles.”
A Family Reunited
Zhanna Ptakhova and her daughters Elizaveta and Daria Paliy were among those who made it out early in the fighting. But Ptakhova’s husband, Mykhailo, stayed in Oleshky to care for their home.
“The conditions were terrible. No electricity, no gas, no heat — but he’s a man with golden hands,” Ptakhova said. “He built a stove, raised chickens, planted a garden, and through his own hard work, he survived.”
The family was reunited after three years apart. “I spotted my girls right away amidst everyone else, even from the bus,” Mykhailo said.
The Journey
Access routes to Oleshky have been heavily mined and littered with drone and vehicle debris. Evacuation across the Dnipro River directly into Ukraine-controlled territory is not possible.
After a two-day demining operation was completed Thursday, people gathered on Friday and traveled through occupied Crimea to Anapa in Russia’s Krasnodar region. They then flew from Anapa to Gomel, Belarus, and traveled by bus to Ukraine. Once across the border, strangers lined the road for miles, waving Ukrainian flags.
Some residents chose not to go to Ukraine and stayed in Oleshky, even though the ceasefire is set to expire Sunday. Another group chose to go to Russia.
The Bottom Line
Hundreds of evacuees from occupied Oleshky have returned to Ukraine under a ceasefire brokered in part by Melania Trump. Families were reunited after years apart, some after more than 1,700 days. The evacuees described severe malnutrition and lack of basic supplies. Ukraine’s ombudsman said the operation could serve as a model for future evacuations from other occupied areas.
