Newsmax journalist counts 11 buses evacuating people to Ukraine and four to Russia

Newsmax journalist Alex Salvi, who was in Oleshky in Kherson region during the evacuation of civilians, counted 11 buses heading to Ukraine and four to Russia.

This is reported in the outlet’s material.

Assuming the buses were fully occupied, it follows that about 550 people decided to evacuate to Ukraine and 250 to Russia. At the same time, officially neither Moscow nor Kyiv has so far given the number of evacuees.

Observers estimated the number of civilians in Oleshky at the time the ceasefire was announced at 1,500–2,000 people. Based on these figures, half or even more of the civilians decided to stay in Oleshky, which is currently under the control of Russian troops.

In addition, judging by reports from Russian media, during these days the Russian Federation was evacuating residents of Oleshky to its own territory or to Crimea beyond yesterday’s evacuation convoys.

Before the start of the full-scale war, about 24,000 people lived in Oleshky. Some residents left the city at the very beginning of the invasion. Many also left Oleshky after the blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP dam in June 2023, when a significant part of the settlement was flooded.

Russia accused Ukrainian troops of violating the ceasefire regime in Oleshky. Who is unhappy with the truce in Oleshky and why was analyzed in a separate material.