Following years of living under Russian occupation, hundreds of residents have finally managed to flee the front-line city of Oleshky, arriving in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine. The city, which was seized by Russian forces during the initial days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, remained trapped between the Dnipro River and advancing troops, leaving those inside in a state of constant peril. Among the arrivals on Saturday were Viacheslav and his wife, Olha, who described the experience of leaving their home as an escape from hell. Warning: This story contains graphic content. Her husband Viacheslav put it this way: “We came back from hell, disembarking alongside her from a coach in the Ukrainian region of Chernihiv with their immediate family and dog. Both in their 30s, olha and Viacheslav had lived there with their son and daughter. So we realised we had to get out,” Olha said, we saw that the situation wasn’t getting any better. For them, leaving as soon as it was safe to do so was an easy decision. “There’s nothing for us to regret leaving.
Life within Oleshky had become increasingly desperate for the remaining population, which is estimated to include 1,700 people in the city and up to 6,000 in the surrounding area, including 200 children. As basic supplies dwindled, many were forced to rely on garden weeds to survive. The danger was so severe that some residents attempted to traverse active minefields just to secure food. Olha recounted the harrowing reality of these conditions, noting that people were frequently maimed or killed by mines while simply trying to stay alive.
A rare moment of relief emerged earlier this week when a humanitarian ceasefire, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, provided a window of peace in the Kherson region. This agreement allowed for the deployment of a 25-bus convoy on Friday, offering a four-hour window for residents to depart. The evacuation mission also included ambulances for those with limited mobility. Following a complex journey through occupied territory into southern Russia and a subsequent flight to Belarus, the evacuees were eventually processed at a military facility in Chernihiv. With a convoy of 25 buses brought in for up to 750 evacuees, along with ambulances for people with limited mobility, residents had a four-hour window on Friday to leave. Where evacuees were processed before travelling onwards, some elderly residents were so weak they had to be carried on stretchers, on the tarmac.
The emotional reunions at the arrival site highlighted the toll of the long separation.
Mykhailo Palii, who arrived separately, was greeted by his daughters, Dasha and Anya, who had feared for his life for years.
Palii shared that he had long hidden the true extent of the conflict from his family to spare them further anxiety, despite his own home suffering significant damage from drone attacks and missile strikes. They feared that trying to escape could be even more dangerous, with routes mined and subject to drone attack, even as the shelling around them intensified. It happened, but I didn’t tell them about it because I knew they would worry.
He expressed a determination to begin rebuilding his life immediately, stating that he is prepared to take on any type of manual labor, from demolition to agriculture.
For others, such as Tetiana and Volodymyr, the decision to leave was clear. Having lost their home to fire three years ago, they had been sheltering in a neighbor’s abandoned house. With their adult children already living elsewhere, they felt no reason to remain under such conditions. Despite their relief, many who escaped remain deeply concerned for the neighbors and friends still trapped behind the lines. According to our children are married and don’t live with us in the city,”, Tetiana. Digging, hoeing, planting, building.
The survivors are now facing the daunting task of integrating into new communities. Many, like Olha’s family, have no relatives elsewhere in Ukraine and must rely on the support of acquaintances while they work to regain their independence. Reflecting on their survival, Olha remains resilient, asserting that if they managed to endure the hardships of the occupation, they can successfully navigate the challenges of their new lives as well.
