Kyiv, October 31 (QNA) - Ukraine and Russia have carried out a joint humanitarian operation to evacuate residents from the Russian-controlled city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, marking the first such effort since the war began in February 2022.

The operation, conducted under a US-mediated local ceasefire, also allowed humanitarian aid to reach the city in the Kherson region.

Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said some residents were evacuated through Russia and Belarus before being transferred to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said the convoy reached Armyansk in Crimea before splitting into two groups.

Both sides said the operation was completed without incidents and that the temporary ceasefire remained intact.

The number of evacuees was not disclosed. Oleshky had a pre-war population of around 24,000, which has since fallen to approximately 1,000.

The humanitarian truce, agreed on October 23, comes as Washington steps up efforts to revive negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv and push towards ending the conflict. (QNA)