Oleshky’s 1,700 residents face winter shortages as evacuation talks stall
Fewer than 2,000 people remain in Russian-occupied Oleshky, where residents face shortages of food, medicine, water and power as winter approaches. Ukraine has called for a humanitarian corridor, and Pope Leo XIV urged Vladimir Putin to support aid deliveries and evacuations, but no evacuation agreement has been reached, according to the UN human rights office.
Bottom line — The UN says the last regular food delivery by road reached Oleshky on 26 May.
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A woman who fled in August told the Associated Press she walked 20 kilometres along a partly mined route known locally as the “road of death”.
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The city had around 24,000 residents before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022; Reuters reports about 1,700 remain, including 47 children, citing the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
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The UN human rights office says Oleshky’s hospital lacks medicine and basic supplies, while drone attacks prevent ambulances from reaching patients.
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Tetiana Hasanenko, the exiled head of Oleshky’s Ukrainian military administration, said around 100 bodies are in the hospital basement.
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Russian-installed officials said they delivered two tonnes of aid this month, but acknowledged it was insufficient, according to the Associated Press.
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A Ukrainian marine brigade spokesperson told the Associated Press that drones had delivered more than seven tonnes of food and medical supplies since September; the deliveries were not intended to sustain residents through winter.
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The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was ready to assist an evacuation if both countries agreed and security guarantees were in place.