About 2,000 people remain in Oleshky, a town in southern Ukraine. Russian forces control the town, and people there have very little food or medicine. A plan to bring help and take people to safety involves US First Lady Melania Trump.
A pause in fighting began on Tuesday and should last until November 1. Ukrainian human rights official Dmytro Lubinets said there were no incidents during the first 30 hours. The plan includes food, medicine and help for people who want to leave.
People may first travel by bus to Russia or Crimea, which Russia also controls. This raises fears that they may have to go somewhere against their wishes. In 2022, human rights groups documented cases of people from Mariupol and other parts of Ukraine having no real choice about going to Russia or areas under its control.
Russia says it will only move people from Oleshky if they agree. A Russian official says the town belongs to Russia, but international law recognizes it as part of Ukraine. Traveling through Russia does not itself mean a forced move. People must freely choose to leave and remain free to travel to their chosen place.
