An Oleshky resident told the BBC she had decided against leaving because "they wouldn't take my animals, so that's it."

Olena, who now lives in Kyiv, said her grandmother and wider family in Oleshky were also staying behind.

"The older generation does not want to leave," she told the BBC. "I've barely managed to persuade my father - and only because I've just had a baby, who he would never see otherwise."

Olena's grandmother's sister died in Oleshky last winter.

"She lost her legs after stepping on a landmine, covered in snow... People took her to the hospital in a garden wheelbarrow," Olena said.

"That's how locals transport all wounded and dead people in Oleshky to the hospital and the hospital's morgue: in garden wheelbarrows."

The ceasefire is due to be in force until the end of Sunday 1 November. It has provided the first few days of peace in the Kherson region since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Residents of Kherson told the BBC they were "overjoyed" by the ceasefire. However, they are concerned the truce has given Russia time to build up its military presence on the banks of the Dnipro river, which could result in a renewed assault once the ceasefire expires.

On Friday, the Kremlin made it clear that the success of the Oleshky ceasefire should not be interpreted as willingness to extend the truce to the rest of Ukraine.

A handful of foreign journalists have been invited to witness the evacuation of the town, which Moscow is expected to present as a humanitarian mission conducted with mercy to protect the people of Oleshky.

Many Ukrainians suspect Russia's real intention is to earn credit with the White House, and to provide US President Donald Trump with a boost ahead of next week's midterm elections.