UKRAINE: Oleshky, a Humanitarian Disaster

This week, I want to focus on a small Ukrainian city that is currently under Russian occupation. Oleshky is located on the left bank of the Dnipro River, directly across from Kherson, which lies on the right bank. There are still around 2,000 Ukrainians living in this small town. Russia has occupied Oleshky since 2022.

In this blog post, let's discuss the ongoing famine and hardship that the town is facing, and what Ukraine is trying to do about it. On a broader scale, let's also look at the alleged war crimes and abuses taking place under the occupation.

A TOWN UNDER OCCUPATION

Oleshky is one of the oldest cities in southern Ukraine. Before the full-scale invasion, it had just over 24,000 residents. It was among the towns occupied at the beginning of the invasion. Since then, many of its former residents have fled, while others have died as a result of the war.

Since 2022, Oleshky has experienced one tragedy after another. On March 20, 2023, about a year after its occupation, the Russian-installed administration reinstated the name Tsiurupynsk. The administration described this as part of a "reversal of renamings." The name had been given to the city in 1928 by the Soviet authorities, after Alexander Tsiurupa, a Soviet statesman and former head of Gosplan, who was born in Oleshky.

In June 2023, the city was almost completely flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. In many areas, floodwater reached the roofs of buildings. Oleshky lost its centralised water supply and electricity, while gas supplies were also cut. The population subsequently fell dramatically, from more than 24,000 to an estimated 3,000–4,000 people. The city's location within the Dnipro floodplains made it particularly vulnerable to the disaster.

In 2025, Ukrainian forces destroyed a strategically important bridge in the area in an effort to limit Russian control over the islands near the Dnipro estuary.

STARVING IN 2026

From December 2025, Oleshky began experiencing a growing food crisis. NGOs, the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian military have attempted to send assistance, but reaching the city has become extremely dangerous. The main road leading into Oleshky is mined, and reports say that three food trucks were destroyed by mines. A local merchant was also reportedly shot and robbed, making access to the city even more difficult.

Residents have been forced to rely on food grown in their own garden plots or weeds, while some hunt wild birds and hares for meat. The situation has become even more difficult as medical supplies have run out. According to reports, the Russian-installed administration has made access to certain assistance conditional on residents accepting Russian passports. Some humanitarian packages have nevertheless been delivered to the city by drones.

The situation deteriorated further at the beginning of the year, when the last food shop reportedly closed. Residents who managed to escape have described extremely difficult conditions. By September, reports indicated that the situation was approaching a critical point, with people facing the possibility of dying from hunger or a lack of medical treatment.

Medical care has become extremely difficult. Reports say that ambulances have stopped responding to some emergency calls, while transferring patients between hospitals has become dangerous or impossible due to the drones and mines. 

The local hospital has become one of the last places of refuge for those who remain, but it too suffers from severe shortages. Medical staff can provide basic treatment, such as stopping bleeding, but their ability to deal with more serious conditions is extremely limited. Medicine has run out, and there are reportedly no reliable generator to keep the hospital operating.

NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO BURY THE DEAD

There have also been disturbing reports about what happens when people die in Oleshky. According to accounts from residents, Russian forces sometimes prevent families from taking bodies away for burial. Some bodies are reportedly taken for autopsies, while in other cases, shelling and security concerns are given as reasons for preventing burials. These reports have added another layer of suffering to an already desperate situation. The untold reason for such treatment of the dead is that Russians take these dead bodies and put them on display to show that Ukraine is doing this. 

An estimated 1,500–2,000 people remain in Oleshky, including around 40 children. A further 4,000 people are believed to live in nearby villages. Before the invasion, around 40,000 people lived in Oleshky and the surrounding area. Many of those remaining are elderly people and their caregivers. There are also men of military age who fear that going through Russian checkpoints and filtration procedures could result in them being mobilised into the Russian army.

Some people may ask why residents have remained in the occupied territory despite these conditions. The answer is not simple. Many of those who stayed are elderly or have limited mobility. Others are deeply attached to their homes or simply have nowhere else to go. Some residents may also lack the documents needed to leave safely. Those attempting to travel through Russian-occupied territory can face checkpoints and filtration procedures, which many people fear because of reports of detention, abuse and other mistreatment.

Oleshky is also effectively cut off by both land and air. Even residents who want to leave can struggle to obtain the necessary documents or find a safe route out. Ukraine has called for humanitarian evacuation arrangements, but a safe corridor has not been established. Some men of military age are also afraid that leaving through Russian-controlled territory could result in their mobilisation into the Russian army. Others cannot afford to leave or do not want to abandon relatives who are unable to travel.

Under international humanitarian law, an occupying power has obligations toward the civilian population under its control, including allowing and facilitating humanitarian relief when civilians are inadequately supplied. The situation in Oleshky raises serious concerns about whether those needs are being met.

A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

What is happening in Oleshky is more than simply a shortage of food. It is a humanitarian crisis in a town trapped between occupation and the frontline. Ukraine has attempted to deliver humanitarian supplies using heavy-lift drones. On September 28, Ukrainian forces said they delivered around four tonnes of food and medical supplies to approximately 100 locations in Oleshky. This shows both the desperation of the situation and the extraordinary lengths needed to reach the remaining residents. However,  by revealing this, it also puts this kind of saving mechanism into jeopardy for the future. 

The international community faces a difficult challenge in helping Oleshky. Humanitarian organisations need safe access to deliver supplies and evacuate civilians, but mines, drones and ongoing fighting make this extremely dangerous. Civilians living under occupation are entitled to protection and humanitarian assistance under international humanitarian law. 

CONCLUSION

Oleshky is a small city, but its suffering reflects the enormous human cost of the war in Ukraine. Those who remain face hunger, shortages and constant danger. They need humanitarian assistance, protection and the opportunity to live safely again. Oleshky must not be forgotten.