Hundreds of evacuees from the war-torn city of Oleshky arrived safely back in an undisclosed site at the Ukraine-Belarus border Saturday after a temporary ceasefire brokered by First Lady Melania Trump continued to hold.
Reports of the arrival of busloads of people came from social media posts by the first lady and Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets. Journalist Alex Salvi of Newsmax traveled with the caravan and on Saturday described a “sprawling relief” scene of evacuees being greeted by medical teams, law enforcement and volunteers. People fled with pets—dogs, cats, a parrot, and even a raccoon. Evacuees stepped off buses wrapped in the Ukrainian flags and were greeted emotionally by family members and locals holding signs welcoming them. Some were transferred directly from buses to ambulances.
“So what’s happening right now is that everybody is making that transfer from the Belarusian vehicles into the Ukrainian vehicles, as they now prepare to head over that border and head to Kyiv,” Salvi said in a report, adding many of the evacuees were elderly.
Residents who chose to return to Ukrainian-controlled territory faced a tense journey from Oleshky through Russian-held territory to Anapa in southern Russia, then flew to Gomel, Belarus, before continuing toward the Ukrainian border.
“HOPE FOR SUSTAINABLE PEACE,” Mrs. Trump said on her social media. “Oleshky proves we can raise humanity above war. Together, we can build a peaceful planet, a world of promise for our children.”
Lubinets confirmed on social media that residents of Oleshky crossed the border and that 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,” Lubinets said. “This entire mission was successfully carried out thanks to her involvement.”
Up to 2,000 people remained in Oleshky since the war broke out more than four years ago, many of them elderly who faced severe shortages of food, water and medicine. Salvi reported that evacuees were divided between buses bound for Ukrainian-controlled territory and Russia. Mrs. Trump’s ceasefire was contained to Oleshky and a safe route out for citizens. Meanwhile, fighting broke out elsewhere.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also praised the first lady and others who drew global attention to the crisis in Oleshky.
“I thank the American side and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for their mediation,” he said on social media. “When the world pays attention, people are rescued. Further steps toward de-escalation and real progress toward peace are also needed.”
The ceasefire is expected to remain in effect until 10:59 p.m. on Nov. 1, according to Lubinets.
“This is the longest ceasefire observed by both sides since 2022,” he said, adding that the oldest evacuee is 94 and the youngest is 1 year old.
Lubinets described one family’s dire situation of living 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, he said, adding that another 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,” Lubinets said. “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.”
The first lady’s ceasefire efforts are “historically unprecedented,” said Thomas Balcerski, a professor of history and director of the Center for Connecticut Studies at Eastern Connecticut State University who authored the chapter First Ladies in Wartime in the 2025 published book The Cambridge Companion to U.S. First Ladies, edited by Lisa M. Burns and Teri Finneman.
He compared Mrs. Trump’s humanitarian efforts of the evacuation of Oleshky to the humanitarian work of Eleanor Roosevelt and Laura Bush. Mrs. Trump’s actions, in this instance he told East Wing Magazine, went beyond straight forward humanitarian work when she directly engaged the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
“It’s one thing to work towards human rights, or the rights of women, but it is quite another to be able to secure a ceasefire to effect humanitarian aid,” he said. “It’s the stuff of Nobel Peace Prizes.”
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026
The Weekly Wrap
The Weekly Wrap is a collection of headlines from the past week. Some publications have paywalls.
IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson’s Halloween Confessions
Oct. 30, 2026 – Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson are getting into the Halloween spirit with a little pumpkin carving and a round of trick-or-treat questions. View here
Publishers Weekly
Staying the Course: PW Talks with Jill Biden
Oct. 30, 2026 – Former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is a longtime educator and the author of two memoirs, as well as several picture books. On November 19, she’ll address attendees at the College Section Get-Together. Read more
East Wing Magazine
The Trumps Greet Trick-or-Treaters at the White House
Oct. 29, 2026 – Families in costume trick-or-treated across the South Portico of the White House Thursday evening as the president and First Lady Melania Trump greeted visitors ahead of Halloween. Read more
In Pursuit
Betty Ford by Maria Shriver
Oct. 29, 2026 – Every morning, I begin my day with Betty Ford. There is a small book I keep in my bedroom—a reading a day, written specifically for women. It’s called Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women, from the legendary meditation series published today by Betty’s own beloved recovery center. Read more
East Wing Magazine
Melania Trump Monitors Humanitarian Efforts in Oleshky as Truce Holds
Oct. 29, 2026 – In the days since Melania Trump announced that she brokered a localized ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky, she has taken to her social media giving the public intermittent updates on the humanitarian mission that has paused violence in one city in the Russian-led war against Ukraine. Read more
The New York Times
A Cease-Fire Melania Trump Announced Gives a City Brief Calm
Oct. 29, 2026 – A rare localized cease-fire announced by the first lady offered a brief respite for Kherson, Ukraine. Read more
East Wing Magazine
Oleshky Ceasefire Holds Says Melania Trump
Oct. 28, 2026 – First Lady Melania Trump confirmed on Tuesday that a planned localized, six-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky has been sped up by two days in an effort to evacuate residents and deliver humanitarian aid. Read more
High Stakes
The Midterms Prep Episode: Tightest Races, Those Ohio Midterms Ads, and Remembering Pizzagate
Oct. 28, 2026 – On High Stakes, a limited series from Kara Swisher and co-host Hillary Clinton, the two home in on the nation’s tightest deadlocks and most consequential House, Senate and gubernatorial races. The Clinton touches on what it feels like to experience the pre-midterm week from the other side of the ballot. View here
First Ladies Association For Research and Education
The East Wing: First Ladies & the Power Behind the Presidency
Oct. 27, 2026 – The First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) presents The East Wing: First Ladies & the Power Behind the Presidency with journalist and author Azadeh Moaveni. The talk, moderated by Heath Hardage Lee, author of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady, discusses the women, relationships and institutional power that shaped the history of the White House East Wing. View here
Fox News
Melania Trump Adviser Shares Inside Look at Ceasefire Agreement
Oct. 24, 2026 – Marc Beckman, a senior advisor to Melania Trump, joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss the first lady’s humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. View here