Evacuation and aid operation begins in Oleshky

An evacuation and humanitarian-aid operation began Friday in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine’s Kherson region, Ukrainian lawmaker David Arakhamia said. Residents who want to leave are being transported under a localized ceasefire, while the number evacuated has not been established. Kyiv’s prime minister, Sergiy Koretskyi, withdrew an earlier estimate that 527 residents planned to leave. He said the figure was still being determined and the rescue operation remained underway. The reports do not establish how many people have completed the journey. Ukrainian presidential-office head Kyrylo Budanov said residents wishing to move were being taken to Ukrainian-held territory. Russian-installed Kherson official Vladimir Saldo said temporary accommodation was available in Russia and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, and that assistance would be provided to people who wanted to go to Russia. Reports said residents could choose where to go, but the destinations of evacuees and whether choices were realized were not confirmed. A volunteer who remains in contact with Oleshky residents said about 1,000 people had told her they wanted to leave. That was a report of residents’...