Inside Oleshky’s chaotic evacuation as Russia ‘prepares fresh offensive’

Day 1,706.

As the first buses evacuate residents in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Dr Jade McGlynn puts us on the ground with reports from local sources. During a brief local ceasefire, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, she tells us about residents’ mistrust of the process and fear of Russian authorities, to the point that some may prefer to stay in the starved city. In Russia’s Samara oblast, a Ukrainian strike transforms an oil refinery into an apocalyptic landscape, amid reports that Kyiv defied President Trump’s energy truce. Finally, we discuss Washington’s latest plans to ease sanctions on Moscow and the closure of the last independent Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta.

Contributors:

Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.

Jade McGlynn (Senior Research Fellow, King’s College London). @DrJadeMcGlynn on X.

Sophie O’Sullivan (Telegraph journalist).

Producer: Rachel Porter

Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett

Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan

Social Producer: Tom Steed

Studio Director: Meghan Searle

Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley