A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine as the Kremlin authorities refuse to allow the evacuation of starving Ukrainian civilians trapped in a front line city.
The plight of Oleshky in southern Ukraine has emerged in recent weeks as a potent symbol of the dire living conditions and lack of basic human rights in Ukrainian regions that have fallen under Kremlin control since 2022. Located on banks of the Dnipro River opposite regional capital Kherson, the city has been under Russian occupation since the very first day of the full-scale invasion. Following the liberation of Kherson by Ukrainian forces in November 2022, Oleshky became a hot spot on the front lines of the fighting.
Over the past four years, conditions inside the city have steadily deteriorated. Once a thriving resort with a population of over twenty thousand, it is now home to less than two thousand people, who are almost completely cut off from the outside world and menaced by the constant threat of Russian occupation forces.
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Oleshky has received almost no food or medicine deliveries for many months, with residents having only minimal access to heating or electricity, leading to deteriorating living conditions and widespread hunger. Most locals have reportedly exhausted any existing supplies, with many forced to scavenge in deserted homes and eat whatever scraps can be found. Meanwhile, the bodies of those killed by Russian troops or drone strikes often lie in the streets for extended periods due to a near complete breakdown in communal services.
Ukraine accuses the Russian occupation authorities of blockading the city in order to use the civilian population as human shields while launching attacks on nearby Kherson. Kyiv has called on international humanitarian organizations and religious leaders to help mediate with Moscow and negotiate an agreement to evacuate Oleshky’s remaining residents. However, the Ukrainian side claims Russia has rejected the idea of an evacuation and refuses to allow any humanitarian aid into the city.
With the Kremlin seemingly intent on maintaining the blockade of Oleshky, anyone wishing to escape the city must travel along a heavily mined and drone-dominated route dubbed the “road of death” by fearful locals. Progress along this twenty kilometer highway to the nearest town is marked by dozens of destroyed vehicles and ruined buildings. Those who survive face an arduous journey through Russian-occupied Ukraine and across the Russian Federation itself before they can finally reach free Ukraine.
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As winter approaches, Ukraine is attempting to deliver desperately needed food and medical supplies to Oleshky residents via a series of drone drops. In late September and early October, two large-scale drone deliveries were conducted involving cargoes totaling thousands of kilograms. During the second operation, six pet cats were also rescued and brought to safety.
Ukrainian officials accuse the Russian military of trying to obstruct this recent humanitarian initiative by shooting down drones carrying aid and targeting anyone who attempts to collect deliveries. Several Oleshky residents who received food were subsequently detained, with aid intended for the local population confiscated or sold by Russian military personnel.
In parallel to these aid efforts, Ukrainian diplomatic missions and human rights groups are organizing rallies in a bid to raise international awareness about the humanitarian disaster taking place in Oleshky. Kyiv alleges that the Kremlin is now preparing to counter these initiatives by forcing local residents to record videos denying reports of starvation and expressing their gratitude to the Russian occupation forces.
The desperate conditions in Oleshky are a reminder that Ukrainian civilians living under Russian occupation must contend with grave human rights abuses in a climate of increasing lawlessness. This should be enough to make anyone who advocates trading land for peace with the Kremlin reconsider their position. Handing Ukrainian territory over to Russia also means condemning large numbers of Ukrainians to the horrors of indefinite Russian occupation.
Freedom House currently ranks Russian-occupied Ukraine as the least free place on earth. This grim reality is perhaps most immediately apparent in Oleshky, an entire city that is being subjected to blockade and slow starvation by the Kremlin.
Oleksandr Tolokonnikov is Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.
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The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.
The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.
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Image: A still image taken from an undated drone video released September 24, 2026, shows destroyed vehicles sitting on a street in Oleshky, Kherson Region, Russian-occupied Ukraine. (34th Separate Marine Brigade "Borysfen"/Handout via REUTERS)