Residents in the occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky began a desperate evacuation on Friday as a localised ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv held for a third day.

A fleet of 25 buses with at least 750 seats stood ready to withdraw locals seeking to leave , Kyiv's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said. His Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, added that space would also be provided for their pets.

Residents who wanted to leave were given a four-hour window to do so, lasting until 2pm local time (12pm GMT). Several hundred people are understood to have decided to stay.

“Everyone who wishes to leave Oleshky will be given the opportunity to leave safely,” Lubinets said.…