Civilians from war-ravaged Oleshky arrive in Belarus on their way to Ukrainian territory

Evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky in Ukraine arrived in Belarus on Saturday as part of a major rescue operation carried out under the most significant truce since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine 4½ years ago.

Civilians from Oleshky, on the Dnipro River, began the long journey out of the war-ravaged region in bus convoys Friday. The ceasefire in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region began on 3 a.m. Tuesday and is expected to continue through Sunday evening.

The estimated 2,000 remaining residents were offered the choice of traveling to Ukrainian- or Russian-held territory, or remaining in the city with replenished food and medical supplies.

Russia's Ministry of Defense said that those who had chosen to travel from Oleshky to Ukrainian-held territory were transported to the Russian city of Anapa before boarding planes to the Belarusian city of Homel. They were accompanied by Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s commissioner for human rights, it said.

The group was met in Homel by rescue workers, medical teams and Red Cross volunteers, Belarusian state media outlet Belta reported.

Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia said that four planes transporting evacuees bound for Ukraine had landed in Belarus and the passengers would be on Ukrainian territory “within hours.”

Russia’s ombudswoman and lead representative on the mission, Yana Lantratova, said buses also transported Oleshky residents who wanted to live in Russia.

Russia and Ukraine have not specified how many people chose to leave the city, but U.S. first lady Melania Trump, whom the White House said helped broker the localized truce, posted on social media Friday that the humanitarian convoy could safely evacuate more than 750 people.

Officials from both countries worked together in the rare joint humanitarian effort, offering a brief respite in the grim war of attrition.

Aside from the first lady’s apparent role, Pope Leo XIV — the first American pontiff — also pressed Russian and Ukrainian leaders to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday welcomed U.S. approval of Ukraine’s purchase of 500 PAC-3 Patriot interceptors but urged partners to supply the weapons from existing stocks to protect the country this winter, warning the newly authorised U.S. sale could take years to deliver.

“Right now, the Russians are attacking our energy infrastructure every single day. In just these past two weeks of October, there have already been more than 30 Russian strikes on critical parts of our power grid,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

The Trump administration said Friday that it had approved a proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot air defense interceptors, after Kyiv had accused the Pentagon of delaying deliveries of the vital munition needed to stop Russian ballistic missiles .

The State Department said 500 Patriot missiles would be purchased for Ukraine with donations from Canada, Germany and Norway through a U.S. program and that no American funds were involved.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine