Russian-occupied Oleshky in southern Ukraine remains cut off from drinking water and basic food supplies while facing relentless drone attacks, leaving a dwindling population of residents—including children—struggling with starvation and a near-total blackout of humanitarian aid.
Humanitarian Crisis and Living Conditions in Oleshky
Before the occupation, 24,000 people lived in Oleshky. Today, the front-line town is bounded by the Dnipro River and Russian forces, its infrastructure heavily battered by the summer 2023 Kakhovka Dam collapse. Essential utilities like electricity, gas, and running water are completely shut off, and no shops remain open.
Residents rely on sparse meals to survive. “I eat once a day, just dinner. I bake ordinary bread, sometimes I can have it with a tomato or with a little honey and tea. That is all,” a local resident named Halia told the BBC, speaking under an assumed name due to security fears.
Drone Strikes and Civilian Casualties
Daily life in the occupied settlement is defined by constant shelling and lethal drone strikes. Halia recounted to the BBC the deaths of a married couple who were killed by a drone on the street after failing to return home from the neighboring village of Radenske, 23 kilometers away, before a Russian-imposed curfew.
Data released in June by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine highlights a rising toll of civilians killed or injured by Russian drones. The mission documented an incident in early May where a drone wounded a local medic riding a scooter, followed by a second strike moments later that killed both the injured medic and a man who came to his aid.
Did You Know?
With local vegetable harvests completely consumed and zero commercial trade functioning, residents share survival tips on Telegram regarding which wild weeds are edible and how to cook them, alongside ads exchanging or selling scarce food items.
Aid Blockades and the Burial Ban
Cherson regional administration officials state that Russian forces refuse to permit aid deliveries or civilian evacuations. “All roads are mined. Russia is condemning hundreds of children, adults, and elderly people to a terrible death by starvation,” officials warned. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged supply problems to the Russian outlet Interfax, blaming the situation on Kyiv. “The Kiev regime is doing everything in its power to prevent these deliveries,” Peskov said.
Compounding the psychological toll, Russian occupiers have forbidden the burial of individuals who died unnatural deaths. Unburied bodies frequently remain for months on streets or in the local morgue, which lacks electricity. Ester Vrataryová, co-founder of the Humanity charitable organization, told the BBC that the restriction is deliberate: “It is psychological pressure. If you try to bury a dead body, you become the next one.”
remaining residents and unburied bodies in oleshky
How many people still live in Oleshky?
Residents, including children, remain in the town and its surrounding area out of a pre-war population of 24,000.
What is the official Russian response to the food and medicine shortages?
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged supply problems but blamed the Ukrainian government for obstructing deliveries.
Why are bodies left unburied in the town?
Russian occupation authorities have banned the burial of individuals who died unnatural deaths, leaving corpses on streets or in unpowered morgues as a form of psychological pressure.
Related reading