Ukraine's city of Oleshky faces starvation as Russia blocks all aid

Oleshky is facing a severe humanitarian crisis because regular food deliveries stopped in May, while Russian forces control access to the occupied city. Ukrainian authorities are trying to send food by drone and organize an evacuation, but both efforts are being obstructed.

Ukrainian forces have delivered about four tonnes of food across the Dnipro. Kherson official Oleksandr Prokudin says Russian troops shoot down food-carrying drones, confiscate or resell parcels that land, and detain people found with them. Soldiers reportedly search homes for dropped supplies.

Ukraine has prepared an evacuation plan with the International Committee of the Red Cross. Russia has not confirmed that it will allow the mission to enter. Until access is agreed, volunteers cannot safely evacuate civilians. International groups warn that trapped residents face a high risk of death as shortages worsen.

A town under military occupation is controlled by a foreign army during conflict, rather than by the government that normally governs it. In Oleshky, Russia has held control since the early days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Occupation does not automatically transfer legal sovereignty over the territory.

The occupation affects basic choices. Russian troops reportedly control access, block evacuations, search homes, and detain people found with humanitarian parcels. Ukrainian officials also say people suspected of contacting Ukrainian authorities or forces face immediate execution. These reports show how military control can restrict movement and aid.

For residents, occupation means dependence on the controlling force and limited access to outside help. International humanitarian law still protects civilians. It requires the occupying power to help ensure food, medicines, and essential care, even while fighting and political disputes continue.

Oleshky’s population has fallen dramatically during the war. The Kherson regional military administration estimates that about 2,000 people remain inside the city, including nearly 50 children. Another estimate from the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations puts the number above 6,000 in the city and surrounding area, including about 200 children.

The difference reflects different counting areas and methods. The lower figure concerns the city’s remaining population, while the higher estimate includes nearby communities. Both figures show a major reduction from the roughly 25,000 residents who lived there before Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022.

This population collapse also reveals the scale of displacement and danger. Many people have left, while those remaining face food shortages, medicine shortages, flooding damage, drone attacks, and blocked evacuation routes. Children and older or ill residents are especially vulnerable when services disappear.

The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in June 2023 turned an already dangerous occupation into a deeper humanitarian emergency. Floodwater damaged homes and infrastructure across the region. In Oleshky alone, residents and officials estimate that 200 to 300 people died in the flooding.

The flood also blocked wells and sewage systems. That reduced access to clean water and made sanitation harder. Homes were destroyed, leaving fewer safe places to live. These effects combined with the existing absence of reliable food, medicine, electricity, and medical care.

Conditions have continued to deteriorate since the disaster. Residents reportedly move through abandoned buildings to avoid attacks and looting, while some rely mainly on their gardens for food. When wells, sanitation, housing, and health services fail together, recovery becomes difficult, especially when occupation prevents outside assistance and evacuation.

A town without reliable food, medicine, water, electricity, or safe evacuation loses the systems that keep people alive. Hunger weakens residents, untreated illnesses become more dangerous, and unsafe water can spread disease. Without electricity, hospitals cannot operate normally, while blocked roads prevent people from reaching safer places.

Oleshky’s reports show these risks starkly. Residents reportedly rely on gardens, and musician Artem Pivovarov said some people are forced to eat grass and weeds. A hospital reportedly has no electricity, while more than 100 corpses were said to be in its basement. Other reports describe bodies remaining in streets for months.

The crisis also increases fear and isolation. People move between abandoned buildings to avoid drone raids and looting. With evacuation blocked, children and vulnerable adults remain exposed. Continued shortages could produce more deaths unless humanitarian access, medical support, food deliveries, and safe passage are secured.

International organisations are important because war zones require trusted intermediaries to deliver aid and move civilians safely. The International Committee of the Red Cross can help coordinate with the parties, verify humanitarian arrangements, and support evacuation without acting as a combatant. Its neutral role may make access more acceptable to opposing sides.

In Oleshky, Kyiv has created an evacuation plan that the Red Cross is prepared to join. However, Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets says Russia has not confirmed readiness to allow the mission. Without agreed access, volunteers cannot enter the city on their own. Other organisations have also called for humanitarian access.

Their involvement cannot guarantee success if military forces refuse cooperation. Still, international pressure can document conditions, remind parties of legal duties, and help organize food, medicine, and evacuation routes. The UN and Council of Europe have already described the situation as desperate and life-threatening.

International humanitarian law sets rules for protecting civilians during armed conflict, including in territory controlled by a foreign army. An occupying power must administer the area responsibly and help ensure that civilians can obtain essential supplies. The article specifically states that this includes access to food and medicines.

That duty matters in Oleshky because regular food has reportedly not arrived since May. Residents also face chronic medicine shortages, little medical care, no electricity, and blocked evacuation. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner reminded Russia that its legal obligations continue despite the occupation and ongoing fighting.

The rule does not mean an occupying power alone must provide every service directly. It must not obstruct necessary relief and must facilitate access to essentials. International organisations and humanitarian agencies can assist, but they need permission and safe passage. Reports of blocked deliveries and evacuation raise serious concerns about compliance.