Evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky receive medical care, documents and financial assistance in Ukraine
Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky in southern Ukraine are receiving medical care, financial assistance and help rebuilding their lives after returning to Ukrainian-controlled territory on October 31.
Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets and his representative Olha Altunina described the support being provided to evacuees in comments to hromadske.
All those evacuated have received internally displaced person certificates and applied for government living assistance. They have also been provided with bank cards, Ukrainian SIM cards, clothing and footwear, including winter coats.
Officials are helping residents replace passports, tax identification numbers and pension documents, as well as restore pension payments.
The Ukrainian Red Cross has supplied phones, power banks, travel kits and bags. Additional assistance includes hygiene products and help obtaining glasses following eye examinations.
According to Altunina, evacuees are receiving three meals a day and undergoing comprehensive medical examinations, with referrals to specialized hospitals where necessary.
Psychological support is also available. Altunina said most women had accepted counseling, while men were more likely to decline it.
Lubinets said officials were assessing each person's needs individually. Some evacuees plan to join relatives, while others hope to remain in Kyiv, find employment or receive specialized medical treatment.
So far, only two evacuees have been discharged from the medical facility: a married couple whose son serves in Ukraine's Armed Forces. He was granted three days of leave to spend time with his parents.
Humanitarian operation in Oleshky
The evacuation followed a temporary ceasefire in and around Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in Kherson Oblast that had been facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
The ceasefire began on October 27 and was scheduled to remain in effect until late November 1 to allow humanitarian operations.
After routes were cleared of mines, Ukrainian officials organized an evacuation operation, preparing 25 buses with a combined capacity of 750 passengers and ambulances for people with limited mobility.
On October 31, evacuees traveled through Belarus before crossing into Ukrainian-controlled territory in northern Chernihiv Oblast.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed their return that afternoon.