Ombudsman's office shares stories of residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky
The office of Ukraine's Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner in Zakarpattia Oblast has published accounts of people evacuated from Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, a town under Russian occupation. Residents endured hunger, a lack of medical care and drone attacks.
The office of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner in Zakarpattia Oblast has described the experiences of people evacuated from Oleshky, a town in Kherson Oblast occupied by Russia. Some of the evacuees have moved to Zakarpattia. The accounts released by the office show the conditions residents lived in during the years of occupation: hunger, a lack of adequate medical treatment and constant threats to their lives.
A man hunted by drones
One man survived several Russian drone attacks that left him with serious leg injuries. In May 2026, Russian forces hunted him with drones. He managed to hide behind a gate but was still wounded. Using only his arms, he dragged himself to his neighbours' house, and from there he was taken to hospital on a small farm cart.
The hospital had been without electricity and adequate supplies for a long time, and medical staff put his leg in a cast without examining it. According to the office, the man spent three months at home, but his broken bones did not heal. He then spent another three months in a cast, but without proper care and medication he could not recover. He is now safe, undergoing examinations at a medical facility in Zakarpattia and preparing for surgery meant to restore his ability to walk normally.
A family that refused Russian passports
A woman and her parents refused for five years to obtain Russian-issued passports, despite pressure and threats from the occupying forces. The family survived mainly by growing courgettes, which they even turned into flour. The office said that, with no electricity, gas or sufficient food, this was the only way they could stay alive. The daughter is currently staying at a health and rehabilitation facility in Zakarpattia, where she gets three meals a day and can recover gradually.
Background
Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets recently reported that 105 animals, including dogs, cats and parrots, were evacuated from Oleshky together with their owners during the humanitarian mission.
