Ukrainian evacuees reunite with family after years trapped in Russia-occupied city
Families torn apart by war have reunited in northern Ukraine, after evacuees escaped the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky and crossed from Belarus into the Chernihiv region.
Families torn apart by war have been reunited in northern Ukraine, after evacuees escaped the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky and crossed into the Chernihiv region from Belarus.
The reunions were raw and emotional. Two sisters sprinted across the tarmac to embrace their father, whom they had not seen in three years, while elderly residents, some carried on stretchers, finally reached safety.
The evacuees had survived without food, water or electricity, with many cooking garden weeds to stay alive. The convoy carried hundreds of people, from a one-year-old baby to a ninety-four-year-old, along with ambulances for those with limited mobility.
Ukraine's president thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for her efforts in brokering the local ceasefire that made the evacuation possible. Several hundred people chose to stay in the war-torn city, despite the devastation and the lack of gas, electricity and running water.
Reporting based on coverage from BBC News.