Residents of Oleshky made their own way out of the city along roads littered with landmines

Residents of the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region left the town on their own. They left on bicycles and mopeds, and some walked. 

This was reported by Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. 

He commented on a video and noted that people from Oleshky are aware that there may be landmines along the way. However, he said, they understand that staying behind also means risking their lives.

Some are leaving if only to find and buy food for themselves and their loved ones. Without proper transportation. Without a safe route. Without any guarantee that they’ll even make it there,” he said. 

The Ombudsman also recalled that the European Union recently stated the need for humanitarian access to Oleshky and the possibility for civilians to safely leave the city. However, he said, people need not only statements but also a safe corridor and a chance to survive. 

Dmytro Lubinets appealed to international partners to save the residents of Oleshky. 

Previously, the ombudsman had sent letters to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN regarding the evacuation of the occupied city. According to him, specific actions had even been agreed upon, but Russia blocked them. 

As Intent previously reported, according to Russian puppet Vladimir Saldo, approximately 1,300 local residents remain in the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region. He stated that a mandatory evacuation from the city is not currently planned, even though he himself described the humanitarian situation there as “the most difficult.”

Юлія Калабайда