Putin Calls Oleshky a Russian Town — Evacuees May Lose Free Choice to Return to Ukraine
Part of composite article 2,000 Starving Civilians Escape Russian-Occupied Oleshky as Rare Ceasefire Holds View full article →
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Oleshky a "Russian settlement," and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warns that evacuees from the town may no longer have a free choice to return to Ukraine.
According to the ISW, those who choose Ukraine will likely have to travel through Russia first. There are no public guarantees that they will be allowed to leave.