Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky reached Ukrainian-controlled territory

Updated Oct 31, 2026, 7:06 p.m. ET · First published Oct 29, 2026, 1:08 p.m. ET

Evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky reached Ukrainian-controlled territory on Oct. 31 after a 19-hour journey, The Kyiv Independent reported. They arrived at the Ukraine-Belarus border in Chernihiv Oblast. Among those waiting was Liza Paliy, 19, who had not seen her father since she, her mother and sister fled the occupied territory over 2½ years earlier.

More context

Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky reached Ukrainian-controlled territory on Oct. 31 after a localized ceasefire, PBS News reported. The Kyiv Independent said the journey took 19 hours and began with a trip to Armiansk in occupied Crimea, where residents could choose whether to continue to Russia or Ukraine. At the Ukraine-Belarus border in Chernihiv Oblast, relatives waited to see people arriving from Oleshky. Among them was 19-year-old Liza Paliy, who last saw her father more than 2½ years ago, when she, her mother and sister fled while he stayed behind. “We thought at that time that it would be a month, two maximum, and we would return, but unfortunately, two years have already passed,” she said. Daria Pavlyn was also waiting for her father, Mykhailo, whom she had not heard from in about a month.

Reporting

The Kyiv Independent — Oleshky residents reach Ukrainian-controlled territory after escaping Russian occupation
PBS News — Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky reach Ukraine after localized ceasefire | PBS News

Verifier’s note

The Kyiv Independent reports that Oleshky evacuees reached Ukrainian-controlled territory on Oct. 31, and PBS NewsHour reports their return and relatives waiting to reunite with them. Both match the proposed event’s timing and central claim.

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