The population of Oleshky has dropped from 24,000 before the war to about 2,000. (EPA Images pic)KYIV: The evacuation of stranded residents in Oleshky, a ravaged Ukrainian frontline city under Russian occupation, was beginning on Friday as part of a US-brokered ceasefire, officials from both Russia and Ukraine said.
Captured by Russia in 2022, locals in the city had faced food, water and medicine shortages for months, with some being forced to hunt and eat pigeons, former residents told AFP.
Officials from both Moscow and Kyiv arrived in Oleshky on Friday to oversee the operation.
"Evacuation and distribution of humanitarian aid have begun," Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said on social media.
