Occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast marks 942 years as residents face hunger
The Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson Oblast marked its 942nd founding anniversary this week, but behind a blockade its residents face real hunger and have resorted to eating roadside grass.
An anniversary overshadowed by crisis
Oleshky, a town in southern Ukraine's Kherson Oblast that is under Russian occupation, marked its 942nd founding anniversary this week. The milestone came amid a severe humanitarian crisis, with the town under a tight blockade for months.
"Real hunger"
Reports from Oleshky describe residents experiencing real hunger. Unable to obtain sufficient food, people have been forced to find sustenance wherever possible, including eating grass growing along roadsides in order to survive.
Aid convoys shelled
The situation is worsened by the fact that humanitarian aid deliveries to the town have come under fire — convoys attempting to reach Oleshky's residents have reportedly been shelled. This means food, medicine and other essential supplies are failing to reach the people who need them most.
Months of blockade have left Oleshky's population isolated from the rest of Ukraine and cut off from regular contact with the outside world. The town's nearly thousand-year history now stands in stark contrast with residents' daily struggle for basic survival, in conditions where aid cannot be guaranteed to arrive.
