'People will die from hunger' —  Russian-occupied town in Kherson Oblast facing humanitarian crisis

Nearly 2,000 Ukrainian civilians remain trapped in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, facing a humanitarian catastrophe with restricted access to food and water. (Kseniia Stepas / The Kyiv Independent) Prefer on Google by Yuliia Taradiuk Editor's note: The names of the people who recently left Russian-occupied Oleshky have been changed for security reasons. For nearly three months, Ukrainians in the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast have faced dire humanitarian conditions, with almost no safe route for evacuation or food deliveries, as Russian troops mined access roads and made it dangerous to enter or leave the city, according to residents, volunteers working in Kherson Oblast, and Ukrainian officials. "It's a humanitarian catastrophe, people are driven to despair," Tetiana Hasanenko, the exiled head of Oleshky's military administration, told the Kyiv Independent. Hasanenko remains in touch with residents who have stayed behind. She estimates that out of the pre-war population of more than 24,000, about 2,000 people remain in Oleshky . She said this includes at least 47 children facing severe danger. "If the situation doesn't improve, people will just die there from hunger. Because there's no way out, no food supplies coming in," Anna, an Oleshky resident who recently escaped to a Ukrainian-controlled area, said. A potential evacuation route from Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, through Russia and Belarus to Ukraine. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent) A town turned into a trap Russian troops continue to use towns and villages on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast to launch attacks across the river, including on Kherson, which Ukrainian forces liberated in November 2022. Oleshky is an occupied frontline city on the eastern bank, where civilians live amid a Russian military presence and attacks from both Ukrainian and Russian forces. According to Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, the situation for civilians is more dire in riverfront towns such as Oleshky than elsewhere on the occupied left bank of Kherson Oblast . Because Oleshky lies close to Ukrainian-controlled territory, Russian forces have placed guns, mortars, and mines in and around residential neighborhoods, Tolokonnikov said. Russian troops mined the roads leading from the city, making escapes and food deliveries extremely risky and nearly impossible, Kseniia Arhipova, an evacuation volunteer from Oleshky who is now based in Ukrainian-controlled territory, told the Kyiv Independent. Main roads in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent) She said that the situation in Oleshky had worsened in recent months because Russian soldiers allegedly relocated to the city's outskirts, hiding from drones in forests. Stefan Vorontsov, a volunteer and coordinator with the Humanity NGO , which helps evacuate civilians from occupied parts of Kherson Oblast and other occupied territories , also echoed that assessment. "Russian soldiers have been leaving, so there is no longer a need to support the city with humanitarian things (like food). When the occupiers were living in the city, of course, they needed the stores to buy food," Vorontsov said. Residents described a similar pattern. Mariia said she saw Russian soldiers in civilian clothes in Oleshky and that some used abandoned homes and apartments as bases. She said some civilians were killed by Russian soldiers for no apparent reason, while others, especially men, disappeared after interacting with soldiers. Tolokonnikov said the continued presence of civilians also helps shield Russian positions from Ukrainian strikes . "Oleshky and its people are necessary for Russian troops so that Ukrainian troops cannot actively attack them in these settlements," he said. 0:00 / 1× Aerial view on Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine in a video posted on April 9, 2026. (@khersonoleshky / Telegram) 'The road of death' For residents trying to move in or out, the danger is especially acute on the roads. Arhipova said locals call one route the "road of death" because civilians have been killed there by drones and mines. In early February, about six cars bringing in food supplies were blown up by mines or struck by drones , she said. Travel that was once risky but still possible has now nearly stopped, volunteers said. Residents previously could leave to buy food, withdraw pensions, or handle paperwork in other cities, but now drivers are scarce, and Russian soldiers more often stop cars from leaving Oleshky or prevent new vehicles from entering, and sometimes interrogate drivers. Earlier this year, a volunteer driver and two evacuees were killed while trying to leave the city, Vorontsov said. It remains unclear whether they were killed by a drone or a mine. A local Telegram channel on Feb. 11 posted footage of the alleged drone attack on civilians' cars. One of the drivers died from gunshot wounds, the post said. A bus that was shot at while driving from Malokakhovka, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, is seen in a photo posted on Feb. 13, 2026. (@khersonoleshky/Telegram) 'Exhausted and starving' Mariia, who managed to escape occupied Oleshky in recent days, said she had wondered whether she could get through the winter there without heat, electricity, gas, or water, amid constant danger from Russian forces and relentless drone attacks. "Firewood, I collected outside to heat my house, helped me survive the winter, but it was very difficult. I managed to get by with some food, like tinned stew meat and flour," Mariia told the Kyiv Independent. By late winter, her neighbors' food stocks had nearly run out, and the stores had completely closed down. "Many people were completely exhausted and starving," she said. "They would arrive at the hospital emergency room and drop dead." Another local resident, Anna, said some Russians who came to the local Baptist church to hold religious services distributed food afterward, prompting many residents, including those who had never attended church before, to come in hopes of receiving parcels with basic supplies. The humanitarian situation in Oleshky firstly worsened in June 2023, after the city was flooded during the Dnipro River flood due to Russian troops' destruction of the Kakhovka dam . Many residents also lost their documents in the flooding, making it harder to obtain the Russian passports often required to receive aid. Hasanenko, the exiled head of Oleshky's military administration, said that there were four or five food deliveries in March, but not all of them went according to plan. Hasanenko added that to get any aid, residents need to obtain a Russian passport , which takes several months to process and can only be obtained in neighboring cities because there are no city authorities and no ATMs in Oleshky. Anna and Mariia spoke to the Kyiv Independent just days after escaping Oleshky and reaching Ukrainian-controlled territory. Hundreds of others, however, are still waiting in the occupied city. Mariia said many of those left behind are elderly, disabled, or alone. "The soul aches for those who are there," she said. She herself couldn't leave for a long time because of her ill relative. Volunteers Arhipova and Vorontsov said 200 to 300 people are waiting to be evacuated. For now, only small groups can leave, and only at their own risk. Some people are even walking on foot to the neighboring city of Hola Prystan, which is about 23 kilometers (14 miles) away, to further evacuate from there. Many are elderly, ill, or have limited mobility, making evacuation without special transport or a humanitarian corridor nearly impossible. Anna and Mariia said their relatives and friends with limited mobility or illnesses remain trapped in Oleshky. Also, not everyone has the money to pay for a long journey, and sometimes volunteers can help with fundraising for them. People who left Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, in March 2026. (Kseniia Arhipova) In an April 1 post on X , Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets addressed the situation in Oleshky, saying the city was not living but surviving. "People are counting every sip of water to survive one more day... This is not a consequence of war. This is deliberate terrorism by Russia against civilians," Lubinets wrote. He said he had appealed to Russia and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), demanding a humanitarian corridor and compliance with the Geneva Convention, but that nearly a month later, nothing had changed. According to the Geneva Conventions , the forced displacement of civilians from occupied territories and the use of starvation against civilian populations as a method of warfare are prohibited and considered war crimes. Meanwhile, local residents of Oleshky still suffer from shortages of water and food, and those with relatives there regularly send messages in local group chats asking if anyone has seen their missing relatives. Hi! This is Yuliia, the author of this story. Reporting on Russian-occupied territories is not easy, as journalists cannot safely travel there and report from the ground because of the threat of being detained and killed. But imagine what life is like for those Ukrainians who, for various reasons, couldn't leave their homes under occupation. Please share this article so that more people can understand what life under the Russian flag truly entails. Yuliia Taradiuk is a Ukrainian reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She has been working with Lutsk-based misto.media, telling stories of Ukrainian fighters for the "All are gone to the front" project. She has experience as a freelance culture reporter, and a background in urbanism and activism, working for multiple Ukrainian NGOs. Yuliia holds B.A. degree in English language and literature from Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, she studied in Germany and Lithuania.