Oleshky Is Running Out of Food: The City Is on the Brink of a Humanitarian Crisis
Oleshky in the Kherson region, which is temporarily occupied, has effectively been placed under a humanitarian blockade. There have been no new food deliveries to the city since May, and an attempt to bring in food in early September ended in failure.
Tetyana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky City Military Administration, reported that on September 1, vehicles carrying food were forced to turn back due to a mined road. On their way back, the vehicles were attacked by Russian drones. Currently, the roads leading to the city are controlled by Russian troops and drones, making safe deliveries virtually impossible.
The food situation is critical. The city has almost no potatoes, flour, or meat. At the same time, a kilogram of salt, sugar, and other available goods costs about 1,000 Russian rubles—approximately 525 UAH. Due to the food shortage, local residents are growing increasingly anxious, and there is also a shortage of animal feed.
The problems are not limited to food. The local hospital is operating on its remaining fuel reserves, there are practically no medicines, and due to the lack of transportation links from the city, it is impossible to properly evacuate the wounded or transport the bodies of the deceased.
Before the full-scale war, about 24,000 people lived in Oleshky. Currently, according to data cited in the article, approximately 1,700 residents remain there. They are living without electricity, water, gas, or heat.
Evacuation for civilians remains extremely difficult and expensive. Transporting a single person can cost $300–400, and the money is often paid by relatives in territory controlled by Ukraine. Due to the lack of ATMs, residents are forced to hand over their bank cards and PIN codes to drivers, who can then withdraw funds in other towns.
Against this backdrop, American journalist Zarina Zabriskie, who lives in Kherson, called on international organizations to secure the creation of a humanitarian corridor for civilians in Oleshky and other occupied settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region.
Source: Tetiana Gasanenko, Oleshky Municipal Council, via “Vgoru”
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