Civilians evacuated from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory Saturday under a local ceasefire in the southern Kherson region. The White House says first lady Melania Trump helped broker the deal.
The evacuees traveled by bus and plane through Russia and Belarus before entering Ukraine's Chernihiv region, The Associated Press reported. Four planes carrying them landed in Gomel, Belarus, on Saturday, said David Arakhamia, who leads President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's party in parliament, according to The Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian authorities have not allowed the number of evacuees or the exact crossing point to be made public. The Kyiv Independent reported that about 750 people had registered to leave. Eleven buses were headed for Ukraine, and four carried people who chose to go to Russia.
At the border, relatives waited alongside aid tents, coffee stands and food for the pets the evacuees brought with them, CBC reported.
The truce began Tuesday and is expected to last through Sunday evening. The AP described it as the most significant pause in fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion more than four years ago. It was arranged so aid could reach the city.
Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, went to Oleshky on Friday with his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova. When his delegation arrived, Lubinets said, the ceasefire had held for 80 hours.
An estimated 2,000 people were still living in the city. They could leave for Ukrainian-held territory, leave for Russian-held territory or stay with new supplies of food and medicine.