In the occupied Oleshky and neighboring settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating – residents report shortages of drinking water, food, medicine, and power outages. This was stated by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, UNN reports.
Details
According to the Ombudsman, Oleshky, Hola Prystan, Stara, and Nova Zburivka are effectively under blockade. The population of these territories, which before the full-scale war was about 40,000 people, has now decreased to approximately 6,000, including about 200 children.
The city faces a catastrophic shortage of drinking water, lacks stable electricity and gas supplies, and medical assistance is limited. People are forced to save every sip of water and every crumb of food,
Evacuation and aid delivery are nearly impossible
According to the Ukrainian side, the roads around Oleshky remain dangerous due to constant hostilities and shelling, which complicates the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians. Local residents are often forced to hide in basements.
Lubinets also reported that he had appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross with a request to help organize the evacuation of civilians. In addition, Kyiv discussed with Moscow the possibility of introducing a ceasefire to create a humanitarian corridor.
Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. After the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP in 2023, a significant part of the city was flooded, and local infrastructure suffered serious damage.