Occupiers have blockaded a town in the Kherson region: residents are starving to death

A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the occupied town of Oleshky on the left bank of the Kherson region. The town is virtually cut off from the world, with no regular supply of food or medicine and no way to leave. People are speaking frankly: they are beginning to die of hunger.

This is reported by the Media Initiative for Human Rights, citing anonymous accounts from residents and volunteers.

“We have enough flour left for one more loaf of bread, a few frozen pumpkins, some grains, and canned food,” says one of the women who is still in the city.

Another resident says that in nearly three months, they have managed to get a dozen eggs only once, and they haven’t seen any dairy products since the end of December. They cook right on the street using a stove.

The city has been under a de facto blockade since the end of 2025. According to locals, the roads are mined, spike strips are scattered on the highways, and any vehicles are regularly attacked by drones. People refer to the only way out of Oleshky as the “road of death.”

“Leaving almost guarantees that you will either die or be injured,” locals say.

Since then, almost no food has been delivered to the town. Stores are closed, and the market is shut down. People are surviving on whatever they have left at home or whatever they can barter with their neighbors.

When a truck carrying food managed to reach the city in early January, a stampede ensued. Eyewitnesses say that within 15 minutes, there was nothing left.

Now the situation has only worsened.

"People are already hunting pheasants," says a volunteer helping with the evacuation.

According to her, there are already cases of residents dying from hunger, cold, and lack of medical care in the city.

Locals say they gather near the hospital every day in the hope that someone will bring food. But it’s all in vain.

“We stand and wait every morning. But no one comes,” says one of the women.

Drones can even attack crowds of people.

"You walk down the street and you don't know if it will be your last day," residents say.

According to residents,the occupying authorities aren’t actually helping. The so-called “humanitarian aid” is rarely distributed and only to those who have Russian documents.

“It was humiliating, but what can you do when you’re hungry? They gave us a few cans of stew and condensed milk,” recalls a local resident.

Those who try to leave on their own are often not allowed to pass through checkpoints. People say that Russian soldiers openly mock them and wish them death.

There have been cases of civilian vehicles carrying food being attacked. One of the local business owners who tried to bring bread and money to the people was killed.

“It seems like they’re just not letting us out to keep us here,” residents say.

There is almost no medical care in the city. The wounded are rarely evacuated, and doing so is also dangerous. Recently, a drone even attacked an ambulance.

People say that the dead are often not found right away.

“It is unknown how many people have already died in their homes—from the cold, disease, and now from hunger,” locals say.

Due to the lack of basic resources, people are sometimes buried in bags.

“There are no coffins. There used to be some, but now there are none,” says one of the women.

Another problem is people going missing. Residents say that the Russian military takes men away, and their fate is unknown.

Despite everything, people have not lost hope of being rescued and ask for only one thing—to be allowed to leave.

“We are under occupation, but we are Ukrainians,” they say.

The volunteers emphasize that the situation cannot be resolved without the intervention of the state and international organizations. The only real chance to save people is to establish a humanitarian “green corridor.”

“Volunteers can’t do it alone. We need to negotiate at the state level. Otherwise, it will only get worse,” they say.

According to various estimates, thousands of people remain in the city—mostly the elderly, people with limited mobility, and families with children. And for many of them, every day is a struggle for survival.

Андрій Колісніченко