Since a ceasefire took effect in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region on October 27, preparations have been underway to evacuate residents trapped there.
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preparations → take → residents
Following Russia's occupation of the town in 2022 and the flooding caused by the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka dam in 2023, residents were cut off from the outside world.
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residents → follow → world
All access routes to Oleshky, which lies on the Dnipro River, had been mined.
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which → lie → River
Former Oleshky residents who managed to escape and talked to DW described hunger, no access to medicine, and no electricity or water.
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who → manage → medicine
About 2,000 people are still living in the town.
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people → live → town
According to the Save Ukraine Foundation, it has rescued at least 300 civilians from Oleshky over the past six months.
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it → accord → months
DW spoke with lawyer Myroslava Kharchenko, who works for the organization, about preparations for the upcoming evacuation.
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who → speak → evacuation
Do you know whether any evacuation efforts have begun?
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efforts → know → ?
No, we do not have that information yet.
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we → have → information
What we do know is that the ceasefire came into effect on October 27 at 3 a.m. Kyiv time, which is 4 a.m. in Russia.
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which → know → Russia
Mine-clearing operations on the road began at around 8 a.m.
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operations → begin → road
What is happening inside Oleshky itself, however, is entirely within the military's remit.
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happening → happen → remit
Everyone involved in this operation has been asked to maintain strict confidentiality.
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Everyone → involve → confidentiality
Any careless remark or action could jeopardize the entire evacuation effort.
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remark → jeopardize → effort
What I can see is that information is being actively collected through closed internal local chat groups.
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information → see → groups
Registration lists and application forms are being shared, and people are filling them out themselves.
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people → share → them
Organizers are contacting those who previously requested evacuation to verify details such as their date of birth and current place of residence.
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who → contact → residence
They are also asking people to provide contact information for neighbors or relatives who may be nearby or in the same building, because communications are extremely unreliable.
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communications → ask → building
The organizers are also collecting information about the health conditions of those planning to leave.
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organizers → collect → those
Among them are people who are ill, have limited mobility, or are recovering from recent injuries, including blast and mine-related wounds.
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who → have → wounds
We therefore expect those organizing the evacuation to ensure that medical assistance is available for those who need it.
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who → expect → it
How exactly is the evacuation expected to take place?
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evacuation → expect → place
Will people be evacuated through Russian-controlled territory or via the Dnipro River?
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people → evacuate → River
Have any routes already been agreed upon?
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routes → agree → ?
As far as we know, a river route would be extremely dangerous.
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route → know → ?
We have not heard any confirmation that such an option has been approved.
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option → hear → confirmation
It therefore appears likely that the evacuation route will pass through the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory and possibly through Russia before people are able to reach Ukraine.
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people → appear → Ukraine
For security reasons, however, none of these details are being made public.
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none → make → details
What do you know about the number of people expected to be evacuated?
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you → know → people
We are actually very pleased that the evacuation is not expected to take place in a single day.
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evacuation → expect → day
That is important because we hope that those who manage to leave safely during the first stage will serve as an example for others.
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who → hope → others
People still trapped in Oleshky are extremely afraid.
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People → trap → Oleshky
There have already been numerous provocations, and this is not the first attempt to establish such a route or humanitarian corridor.
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this → establish → route
Those concerns are based largely on uncertainty, and some people may choose not to leave during the initial phase of the evacuation.
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people → base → evacuation
Overall, however, we estimate that around 500 people may eventually be evacuated.
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people → estimate → ?
How would you assess the role of Melania Trump in making this evacuation possible?
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evacuation → assess → Trump
We are immensely grateful to Melania Trump for drawing attention to the humanitarian catastrophe currently unfolding in Oleshky.
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We → draw → Oleshky
What is taking place there is in fact genocide committed by the Russian Federation.
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taking → take → Federation
We are thankful for her efforts and hope they will help make this evacuation possible.
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evacuation → hope → efforts
We will be even more grateful once most people are safely removed from the combat zone and arrive in Ukrainian government-controlled territory.
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people → remove → territory
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
