Hundreds of residents have been evacuated from the Russia-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region under a humanitarian ceasefire, which is scheduled to end today. The truce, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, took effect on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, providing a rare window of peace for evacuations.Melania Trump has stated that regular humanitarian missions have been agreed upon, suggesting further efforts to assist those remaining in the region.Olha, a resident who left Oleshky with her husband Viacheslav and their two adult children, described life in the city as “horror.” Viacheslav added, “We came back from hell.” Many evacuees crossed into northern Ukraine via Belarus on Saturday, reuniting with family they had not seen in years.Oleshky, seized by Russia in February 2022 during its full-scale invasion, has been severely affected by the conflict. The city, which had a pre-war population of 24,000, has faced a deepening humanitarian crisis since late 2025, with shortages of food and medicine. Earlier this month, Olha and Viacheslav attempted to find food by crossing minefields, witnessing people dying or being maimed in the process. Those too afraid to venture out resorted to cooking garden weeds for survival.An estimated 6,000 people, including 200 children, were believed to be living in Oleshky and its surrounding areas, with 1,700 in the city itself. A convoy of 25 buses and ambulances for people with limited mobility was used to facilitate the evacuation, allowing residents a four-hour window on Friday to leave. After traveling through Russian-occupied territory to southern Russia and then flying to Belarus, evacuees arrived by bus at a military facility in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region on Saturday.Nepal has a direct interest in the conflict, having issued a travel advisory on May 9, 2026, urging Nepali citizens not to visit Ukraine and for those already there to leave immediately. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also requested Russia on December 5, 2023, not to recruit Nepali citizens into its army and to return the bodies of Nepali soldiers killed in the war. On October 28, 2026, the Nepali government suspended issuing labor permits for Russia and Ukraine. Foreign Employment Department Director Kabiraj Upreti stated that this suspension aims to mitigate the harm to Nepali citizens in war-torn countries.In May 2026, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal appealed to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha for the release of nine Nepali citizens held as prisoners of war in Ukraine. A report published in February 2026 estimated that Russia had recruited up to 15,000 Nepali men to fight in the Ukraine war. A visa waiver agreement for diplomatic, official, and service passport holders between Ukraine and Nepal came into effect on May 27, 2026.The exact number of people evacuated from Oleshky has not been definitively reported, and the Russian government has not publicly responded to Nepal’s requests regarding recruitment and the return of bodies.
Background
- Oleshky was seized by Russia in February 2022 during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- The city has faced a deepening humanitarian crisis since late 2025, with shortages of food and medicine.
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Why it matters for Nepal
Nepal has issued a travel advisory urging citizens not to visit Ukraine and for those there to leave immediately. The government has also suspended issuing labor permits for Russia and Ukraine, and requested Russia not to recruit Nepali citizens into its army and to return the bodies of those killed.
