'We came back from hell', say Ukrainians after years in Russia-occupied city

Hundreds of residents from Oleshky, a Ukrainian city occupied by Russia since the opening days of the 2022 invasion, escaped during a brief humanitarian ceasefire in the Kherson region. Cut off by the Dnipro River and Russian forces, the city had endured years of shelling, drone attacks and shortages. Residents described mined escape routes and deadly efforts to find food; some people too frightened to leave their homes reportedly survived by cooking weeds. A four-hour evacuation window on Friday allowed a convoy of 25 buses to carry as many as 750 people out. They travelled through Russian-occupied territory and southern Russia, then flew to Belarus before reaching Chernihiv in northern Ukraine.

The arrival brought tearful reunions for families separated for years, as well as accounts of homes destroyed and residents living amid repeated strikes. Some evacuees were so frail they had to be carried on stretchers. Those who escaped remain concerned about people still in Oleshky, where up to 6,000 residents may remain in the city and surrounding area. They must now find housing, work and ways to rebuild their lives: one man plans to take any available job, while a couple without family elsewhere in Ukraine will stay with acquaintances. For many, survival in the occupied city has been followed by the difficult task of starting over.