Hundreds Evacuated From Russian-Occupied Oleshky During Ceasefire, Reunited With Families in Ukraine

Hundreds of residents of Russian-occupied Oleshky, in southern Ukraine's Kherson region, were evacuated to Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday, October 31, and reunited with relatives under a localized ceasefire that first lady Melania Trump helped broker. The New York Post reported that buses carried 750 people out after roads to the town were cleared of mines and aid was delivered. The truce began Tuesday and runs through Sunday at 11 p.m.; Pope Leo XIV also called for it. AP described it as the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion 4½ years ago, and France 24 called it the first humanitarian truce of the war. Evacuees arrived at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border in the Chernihiv region, many wrapped in Ukrainian flags, after a journey of about 24 hours. Ukrainian authorities said Oleshky had run out of food, electricity and medicine by September. The town had about 24,000 residents before the war. Residents who chose to stay received emergency supplies, CBS reported.

The New York Post leads with the arrivals and emotional reunions after nearly five years apart. It credits Trump and the pope, gives the 750 figure and the mine clearance, and quotes evacuees Oleksandr and 48-year-old Ivan Yevhenovych on hunger, drones and landmines. CBS News also foregrounds Trump's role and adds the supplies for those who stayed, while The New York Times centers on survival stories and the harrowing journey, with its excerpt not mentioning Trump. Both sides agree on the reunions and the town's hardship. They differ in emphasis: the Post stresses scale and diplomacy, CBS the negotiation and aid, and the Times personal testimony. AP and France 24 largely echo this account, adding the truce's historic significance.