How the evacuation worked

The Oleshky evacuation began on Friday, when Ukrainian and Russian officials entered the occupied town together, delivering aid and marshalling those who wanted to leave. "The Ukrainian delegation, along with the evacuated residents of Oleshky, set off for Anapa," Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said.

The route home runs through Russia and Belarus. "From there, they will fly to Belarus and then travel home by bus," Arakhamia said of the leg from Anapa.

• •Russia said the operation was completed without incidents.
• •Ombudsman Yana Lantratova said 25 buses and nine ambulances were deployed.
• •Neither side disclosed how many people left the town.
• •Some evacuees stayed in Russia, while others travelled back to Kyiv-controlled territory via Russia and Belarus; both sides said they left with convoys.

The ceasefire behind the operation

The departure took place during a rare truce brokered by the United States and announced by US First Lady Melania Trump last week to pave the way for evacuations and deliveries of humanitarian aid. Now in its fourth day, the truce is the longest pause in fighting anywhere on the front line since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and is due to end on Sunday evening. Earlier partial ceasefires between Ukraine and Russia - for instance, around Orthodox Easter - were marred by accusations of violations.

Life in the occupied town

Oleshky was captured by Russia in 2022. Its pre-war population of 24,000 has dropped to about 2,000. Residents in the 'kill zone' near the front line faced months of food and medicine shortages, and some were forced to hunt and eat pigeons, according to former residents.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets posted videos of himself talking to locals, several of whom thanked him while crying. One departing woman said residents had endured much during five years, and an elderly woman said: "If we had our health, maybe we'd stay there a bit longer, but that's it. We just want to be with our children"

Wider context of the truce

The truce has held despite attacks continuing elsewhere. On Thursday, a drone strike on a train station in the central city of Dnipro killed at least 15 people, and an attack on Chernigiv killed two teenage girls.

Russia, meanwhile, said Ukraine had resumed its attacks on Russian oil refineries after a brief pause that followed criticism by US President Donald Trump, who blamed the strikes for rising diesel costs. A refinery in the Samara region was hit overnight.

The ceasefire is due to end on Sunday evening. Russia and Ukraine are due to meet with US envoys in the United Arab Emirates next month in a bid to revive talks; no date is set, but President Volodymyr Zelensky wants the meeting before any potential talks between the leaders of Russia, the US and China.