Residents of Oleshky, a town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region under Russian occupation since February 2022, are confronting imminent famine after Moscow delayed the creation of a humanitarian evacuation corridor.
Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky City Military Administration operating from Kyiv-controlled territory, reported that food supplies have not reached the town since late May. With approximately 6,000 people remaining, including 180 children, Hasanenko described the crisis as far worse than simple starvation, characterizing it as a full-scale famine.
The situation in Oleshky, situated on the left bank of the Dnipro River, had already deteriorated following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023, which caused severe flooding and damaged infrastructure. According to Hasanenko, conditions worsened significantly over the past winter, leaving residents without electricity, gas, or reliable clean water.
Locals have adapted by scavenging for food and engaging in informal trade. One resident shared a photo of a vegetable soup made from leftovers, noting that his mother had traded 2.5 kilograms of sugar for eggs to make the meal more substantial. Another resident, Halyna, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, described subsisting on flatbread with apple sauce and unsweetened tea. She noted that market prices for basic goods were exorbitant, with zucchini selling for 1,000 rubles per kilogram and a large sack of flour fetching 200,000 rubles.
Transportation routes, once used by minibuses to move between Oleshky, Skadovsk, and Crimea, were disrupted after drone attacks. Two ambulances were deployed as replacements, but service has halted for the past six weeks after one driver was killed. Consequently, residents must now walk or cycle 20 kilometers to the village of Radensk to stock up on food. The route to Tarasivka for evacuation is heavily mined, and Halyna reported that two women attempting to reach food died along the way due to explosive devices.
Medical care is also critically insufficient. Halyna stated that hospital patients now receive only small portions of watery porridge and cold tea, a stark decline from the previous winter when they received soup and baked dough. She added that for serious injuries, such as a blown-off leg, survival is nearly impossible due to a lack of anesthesiologists and medicine.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner, emphasized that 358 residents urgently need evacuation, though he cautioned that this figure likely represents only a fraction of those affected. Preliminary agreements were reached between Kyiv and Moscow, with the Ukrainian military to ensure a ceasefire and the International Committee of the Red Cross to assist. However, Lubinets stated that Russia has not reaffirmed its willingness to proceed with the evacuation for an extended period.
Hasanenko expressed despair, noting that while residents held out hope for imminent rescue, she can no longer offer any optimism. She urged the establishment of a “green corridor” to move the trapped civilians deeper into temporarily occupied territories, calling the current situation a death trap.
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