So far, so good. The people of Oleshky, Ukraine, have finally begun receiving the help they need to survive.
Phase 1 consisted of de-mining the road that would lead the surviving citizens of the blockaded town to safety. Mercifully, it was accomplished without incident.
But much work remained before aid could be brought in and people evacuated. Not everyone wished to leave; for those who, for whatever reason, have chosen to stay in their homes, tons of food, medical supplies and other necessities are being delivered.
Of those who are leaving, some chose to remain in Ukrainian-controlled territory while others asked to be taken to Russia or Russian-occupied areas. And roads along the front lines remain heavily mined or destroyed by the fighting.
So a circuitous route had to be cleared for Phase 2.
A convoy of buses has taken the evacuees across the cleared roads to Armyansk in northern Crimea. From there, the two groups split into separate convoys. One convoy headed from there to an unspecified location or locations in Russia. The group that is returning to Ukraine is continuing on to Anapa in the Krasnodar region of Russia, and then by plane to the Belarusian city of Gomel.
The final leg of the trip — Phase 3 — will be by bus from Gomel into the northern Ukraine region of Chernihiv. [RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, October 30, 2026.]
A long, arduous journey, fraught with dangers — not only the usual hazards of travel by road and by air, but through Russian-occupied territory, Russian airspace, and Russia-friendly Belarus. And for the elderly, leaving the only home they’ve ever known is in itself gut-wrenchingly painful.
Still, despite everything, in their place I believe I would also have chosen to leave. Any hope is better than none at all.
I haven’t seen an estimate of how long the entire trek is estimated to take, but I hope that there will be regular updates so that we can follow their progress. In the meantime, we can be grateful that the agreed ceasefire held and the preparations were completed without any major disruptions. We wish these survivors — mostly elderly and having already lived through four and a half years of wartime hell — the best of luck and a safe arrival at their new home.
Just sayin’ . . .
Brendochka
10/31/26
