Sky News footage shows Russian military movements in Oleshky during evacuation ceasefire

Sky News has broadcast footage showing Russian forces bringing heavy armour and ammunition into occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast during a ceasefire intended to support a humanitarian operation. Ukrainian military officials said Russian troops used the pause to reinforce positions, rotate personnel and replenish equipment and supplies.

The British broadcaster was granted access to the headquarters control centre of Ukraine's 34th Marine Brigade, where troops tracked Russian movements before and after the evacuation and throughout the ceasefire. According to Sky News, Russian soldiers began positioning military equipment and supplies before evacuations started. Armoured vehicles were visible on town streets, movements Ukrainian forces said were unrelated to the humanitarian mission.

Drone footage also showed Russian soldiers carrying large rucksacks into houses and buildings with basements, including damaged and burnt-out structures. Brigade commander Dmytro Pulinets said Russian troops previously would not have contemplated driving through Oleshky in that way, regardless of the time or weather. During the ceasefire, he said, such movements had continued day and night over several days.

Pulinets said his unit observed Russian forces restoring all their artillery systems, retaking previously lost positions and bringing in fresh troops and equipment. He also reported increases in aerial reconnaissance capabilities and fuel stocks. Ukraine's General Staff separately said Russian units had strengthened their positions, improved protection against drones along roads and expanded their logistical capacity during the pause.

Sky News also recorded bodies being removed from a hospital morgue, placed in double body bags and loaded into a truck. The broadcaster said residents reported that those whose bodies were being removed had died violently rather than from natural causes. It reported that there would be no investigation into their deaths. Correspondent Stuart Ramsay also said Russian authorities had prevented residents from burying the dead.

Separate drone footage showed Russian soldiers carrying away white boxes and sacks of food rations that had been delivered as aid for Oleshky residents. Sky News reported that the troops were taking the supplies for their own use and that their removal was outside the humanitarian mission. The broadcaster highlighted continuing concerns about residents who remained in the occupied town.

The ceasefire ran from 03:00 on 27 October until 22:59 on 1 November. Under an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, evacuees travelled through Russia and Belarus before entering Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 31 October that the humanitarian operation had been completed successfully and that all evacuated Ukrainian citizens had crossed into Ukraine in Chernihiv Oblast.

On the evening of 1 November, Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets announced that the ceasefire had ended and said both sides had met their obligations during it. Pulinets described the civilian evacuation as essential and said it should have happened sooner, while expressing concern that Russian military preparations during the pause would create additional work for his brigade when fighting resumed.