About 2,000 civilians are reported to remain in Russian-occupied Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region. Accounts describe severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, with residents saying they have resorted to eating garden weeds. Mined roads, shelling and the reported obstruction of aid and evacuation have made it difficult for supplies to reach people or for residents to leave safely.
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Shortages and dangerous routes
Regular food deliveries to Oleshky have been disrupted, and reporting describes limited access to other essentials, including water, electricity and medical care. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces are blocking supplies and preventing civilians from leaving. Routes are reported to be mined, while drone activity and fighting add to the danger for people trying to travel or deliver aid.
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The exact number of people remaining is an estimate. Reports commonly put the figure at around 2,000, though one account gives a wider estimate of 2,000 to 4,000.
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Ukraine’s drone deliveries
With land access severely constrained, Ukraine has used drones to deliver supplies. In a late-September operation, Ukrainian officials said drones dropped about 4,000 kilograms of food at 100 locations across the town. A subsequent report described another delivery of nearly 400 packages, weighing almost four tonnes and containing food and medicines. These deliveries provide aid, but do not resolve the broader need for dependable humanitarian access.
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Calls for humanitarian access and evacuation
Ukrainian officials have called for international intervention, access for humanitarian missions and a safe corridor for civilians to leave. At the OSCE, representatives called for humanitarian missions to be allowed into Oleshky and for a corridor to be opened; a UK statement at the organization also urged Russia to meet its obligations under international law.
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EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said humanitarian aid must reach residents and civilians must be allowed to leave, with humanitarian partners needing safe and sustained access. Members of the European Parliament have also called for urgent support for civilians in the town.
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Competing claims over responsibility
Ukraine says Russian forces have isolated Oleshky, blocked aid and hindered evacuation. Russia has blamed Kyiv for disruption to supplies; the Kremlin has also acknowledged a critical situation and problems with food and medicine, while saying its military was working to address them. The reporting provided here does not independently establish responsibility for every alleged obstruction or attack.
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The immediate requests from Ukrainian officials and international representatives are clear: safe, sustained humanitarian access, essential supplies for civilians and a safe way for them to leave. Whether those measures can be put in place remains uncertain.