Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, shared details about the evacuation of residents from the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region. According to him, during this operation, Russia did not carry out any screening measures, nor did it check the phones or documents of those being evacuated. Lubinets noted that the buses carrying out the evacuation also picked up people from surrounding villages.
“There was no screening whatsoever. Moreover, we had citizens who said they had problems with their documents, such as lost documents. There were no problems at all,” the ombudsman emphasized, adding that he personally oversaw the evacuation process alongside his staff.
Lubinec explained that during the trip from Oleshky, the buses would stop whenever they spotted people on the side of the road holding signs that read “evacuation.” “We asked the people where they wanted to go. They said to Ukraine. We took everyone who wanted to leave,” he noted, emphasizing that the evacuation proceeded without a hitch.
The Ombudsman also announced that detailed information on the number of evacuees would be provided at a press conference scheduled for November 2. “As of today, what I can say is that four transport planes and numerous buses were used to help citizens reach Ukraine, and many left in their own vehicles,” Lubinets added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that residents of Oleshky have already crossed the border and are currently in the Chernihiv region. The day before, buses departed for Anapa in the Krasnodar Krai, from where a Ukrainian delegation, along with the evacuated residents, flew out of Belarus. Humanitarian aid was also delivered to the city for those who decided to remain in Oleshky.
