Preston Stewart

❗️The moment we had all been waiting for: residents of Oleshky have crossed the border — the humanitarian mission has been successfully completed! This mission was made possible with the assistance and coordination of U.S. @FLOTUS. I would like to thank the First Lady for her humanity, her attention to this issue, her extraordinary compassion, and her personal involvement in every stage of the process. This entire mission was successfully carried out thanks to her involvement. 🤝 My sincere gratitude goes to the President of Ukraine, @ZelenskyyUa, for his personal support of this humanitarian initiative. His attention to the situation in Oleshky and his assistance at the highest level of government were essential to making this humanitarian mission possible. I am also grateful to David Arakhamia for his important role in this humanitarian mission and his support throughout the process. The mission was made possible through the agreement reached with @yana_lantratova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. ❗️ We have come a long way — from negotiations and securing the agreement on a ceasefire to delivering humanitarian aid directly to Oleshky and organizing the departure of residents. The ceasefire will remain in effect until November 1, 10:59 p.m. This is the longest ceasefire observed by both sides since 2022. I thank the Ukrainian Defense Forces for their responsible adherence to the ceasefire, which made it possible to carry out this humanitarian mission! It seems that there is hardly anyone who has not been following this unprecedented and historic event. Behind every stage of this operation are the lives of people who have been waiting and hoping. ℹ️ The oldest evacuee is 94 years old, while the youngest is just over one year old! Another woman will celebrate her 49th birthday tomorrow! Let me tell you about one family who were literally fighting for survival in a shell-damaged apartment building in Oleshky. Due to his health condition, the father was unable to make his way down from the eighth floor on his own, as the staircases had been destroyed. It is frightening even to imagine the conditions in which these people were living: they were effectively cut off from access to food and water. But that is now behind them — the family is safe. 👉 There is another story that is equally heartbreaking. A man born in Oleshky survived 16 attacks by Russian drones and four missile strikes on his own home. One of the explosions occurred just one meter from the wall of his house. Along with the residents, we also managed to evacuate their beloved pets: dogs, cats, a parrot, and even a raccoon! The ordeal and uncertainty are behind them. What lies ahead is the chance to recover and finally breathe a sigh of relief after living in constant fear for their lives. ❗️We want the experience of Oleshky to be more than an isolated case. It could become the foundation for a new mechanism for responding to complex humanitarian crises.

We are in Oleshky! The Ukrainian delegation has safely reached the city. The ceasefire has been in effect for 80 hours and remains in place. I am currently on the ground, speaking with local residents to hear about their needs and understand what kind of assistance they need most. I will share more details later. This work is being carried out in accordance with the agreements reached with Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova, with the support and coordination of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump @FLOTUS