Civilians from war-ravaged Oleshky arrive in Belarus during Melania Trump-brokered ceasefire

Four planes carrying residents evacuated from the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky have landed in Belarus, the country’s state ​news agency and a senior Ukrainian official said Saturday.

Hundreds of starving and exhausted ‌residents left the town of Oleshky on Friday during a local ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump, the first of its kind and the longest humanitarian pause in the war, which is nearing its fifth year.

“The ​last, fourth plane landed in Gomel,” said David Arakhamia, a top Ukrainian ​peace negotiator and close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “In a few ⁠hours, all Ukrainian citizens evacuated from Oleshky together with a Ukrainian delegation will be ​on Ukrainian territory.”

Belarus’ Belta news agency later reported that a convoy of buses carrying the residents had ​departed from the airport in Gomel, in southeastern Belarus near the border with Ukraine.

The evacuees leaving for Ukraine had to take a complicated route to leave Oleshky as the frontline runs just ​a few miles away.

They first travelled by bus via Crimea to the Russian town ​of Anapa before flying to Belarus from where they will continue to Ukraine via a border ‌crossing, ⁠Belta reported.

The local ceasefire in Oleshky was…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business