'We Came Back from Hell': Ukrainian Families Reunite After Years Trapped in Occupied Front-Line Oleshky

ZAPORIZHZHIA — Emotional scenes unfolded at a humanitarian reception depot in Zaporizhzhia on Sunday as Ukrainian civilians successfully evacuated from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky embraced family members they had not seen in over two years.

Located along the flooded and shelled left bank of the Dnipro River, Oleshky had been cut off from municipal drinking water, electrical power, and essential pharmaceutical supplies. Evacuees recounted navigating unmarked minefields and relying on foraging to survive before volunteer extraction corridors secured their passage through third-country transit points.

"For two winters we cooked whatever garden weeds we could dig from under the frozen mud," an elderly evacuee whispered through tears. "Stepping onto safe soil feels like waking from a prolonged nightmare."