Ukraine's military said it evacuated 167 people from threatened areas of southern Kherson region on Sunday as a temporary local ceasefire neared expiry -- two days after busloads of residents were brought out of the embattled Russian-held town of Oleshky, Reuters reports.
A six-day local ceasefire in Oleshky and the surrounding area was reached after mediation efforts by US first lady Melania Trump and with the involvement of Pope Leo. The ceasefire was due to expire at midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT).
It is the longest local pause in fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
"Units of civil-military cooperation of the 'South' group of forces, in cooperation with representatives of local authorities, evacuated 167 civilians to safer points in the Kherson region," Ukraine's General Staff wrote on Telegram.
It said the evacuees included 22 children and 21 people with limited mobility requiring special assistance.
The governor of Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, urged residents to be vigilant as the expiry of the ceasefire neared.
"I also strongly urge you not to visit the so-called 'red zones' – areas and settlements near the Dnipro," Prokudin wrote on Telegram. "The intensity of Russian strikes there remains high, and the threat to life is extremely high."
The ceasefire has been holding since Tuesday without violations, according to both Ukrainian and Russian officials. It has allowed them to de-mine the roads and bring food, medicines and other supplies into the town.
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