Critical Humanitarian Situation in Russian-Occupied Oleshky, Kherson Region
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on 17 October that about 1,700 people remaining in Russian-occupied Oleshky lack food and medicine. He called on international partners to help evacuate civilians and deliver humanitarian aid.
A critical humanitarian situation has developed in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. About 1,700 people remain in the city without enough food or medicine, and leaving safely is almost impossible. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced this on 17 October, calling on the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international partners to help evacuate civilians and bring humanitarian aid into the city.
Roads and river mined
According to Sybiha, the only road out of the city is mined and watched by combat drones. The nearby river is also mined, so attempts to reach safety put lives at risk.
The hospital has run out of medicine, and dozens of bodies of the dead are lying in the streets or in homes. The minister claims Russian soldiers are not allowing residents to bury the dead. People are trying to survive on leftover garden vegetables, canned goods and even snails. Sybiha also reports that Russian soldiers have threatened residents with weapons in order to take their food.
"Residents doubt whether they will survive this winter," the minister said. He stressed that Russia must stop obstructing efforts to rescue civilians.
Call for action
Sybiha thanked Pope Leo XIV for urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to declare a truce in Oleshky so that aid could be delivered and civilians evacuated. "People cannot survive on expressions of concern alone. They need action," he said, adding that this is needed without delay.
A humanitarian blockade of Oleshky has been reported since September. According to the city's military administration, the last food delivery to the city took place on 26 May. On 27 September, Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration, said Ukrainian soldiers had used drones to deliver four tonnes of food to residents, placing it at 100 different locations.
The main task now is to secure safe evacuation corridors and aid deliveries before the onset of winter worsens residents' situation further.
