A humanitarian crisis is gripping Russian-occupied Oleshky as food deliveries stop and safe evacuation becomes nearly impossible

Oleshky, occupied by Russia since 2022, sits just across the Dnipro from Ukrainian-held Kherson but has become nearly unreachable, with its last store closed since January 2026 and all food deliveries halted by late May.

Residents describe surviving on garden vegetables, foraged weeds and bartering, since drones and mines make travel in or out of the city extremely dangerous. Ambulances no longer respond, the hospital can barely function, and officials and residents cited in the reporting say people and animals are dying of starvation.

Human Rights Watch and the U.N. mission in Ukraine documented the collapse of food, medical care, electricity and gas service in the city, while Russian occupation authorities initially denied a crisis before Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation critical in September, blaming Ukraine for obstructing aid.

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