Evacuees begin crossing into Ukrainian territory after temporary truce

Evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory Saturday in a major rescue operation carried out under the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four-and-a-half years ago.

Evacuees, who travelled by bus and plane through Russia and Belarus, stepped off buses at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.

The ceasefire in Ukraine's southern Kherson region began early Tuesday and is expected to continue through Sunday evening. The White House has said US first lady Melania Trump helped to broker the localised deal, while Pope Leo XIV also pressed Russian and Ukrainian leaders to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.

An estimated 2,000 people were still living in Oleshky when the temporary truce took hold. They were offered the choice of being evacuated to Ukrainian- or Russian-held territory, or remaining in the city with replenished food and medical supplies.

Ukrainian authorities, seeking to protect those who remained and safeguard future humanitarian missions, have not said how many residents evacuated Oleshky and have restricted details of their route. Melania Trump posted on social media Friday that the humanitarian convoy could safely evacuate more than 750 people.