In the occupied town of Oleshky, there are children among the civilians who lack food, says Zelenskyy

Russian troops control approximately 18–19% of Ukraine’s territory. At the same time, thousands of civilians remain in the temporarily occupied settlements, unable to leave safely. 

During the conversation, a journalist asked the president to show exactly which territories Russia had seized. Zelenskyy schematically marked the occupied areas on a map and emphasized that Moscow is trying to shape its own narrative about the course of the war for the Russian public.

“This is approximately 18–19% of our territory. Approximately, because their maps are one thing. To be honest, they’re telling their people one story, while we have different maps. We believe we’re right,” the president noted.

Zelenskyy recalled that Russia has occupied Crimea, Mariupol, Berdiansk, and parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. At the same time, Russian troops have failed to capture the regional capitals of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Separately, the head of state mentioned the liberation of Kherson, located on the right bank of the Dnipro River. According to him, Russian troops continue to shell the city from the temporarily occupied left bank.

The president paid particular attention to the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, where civilians remain effectively cut off from the outside world. Among those trapped are children who are suffering from a lack of food.

“Oleshky is a place where people and children are now trapped, without food, without anything. They are not being allowed to leave. We are currently working to unblock the city,” Zelenskyy said.

The president also mentioned the approximately 2,500 people who remained in Oleshky. However, it is unclear from this portion of the interview exactly which date this estimate refers to.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine continues to work on providing assistance to residents of the temporarily occupied territories.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about this in

">an interview, explaining the situation on the front lines and the living conditions of Ukrainians under Russian occupation.

Russia has prepared a disinformation campaign aimed at concealing war crimes in the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region and discrediting the Ukrainian Armed Forces. To this end, Moscow plans to hold a so-called “international teleconference” on October 22, 2026.

During a phone call with Pope Leo XIV, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the issue of the humanitarian situation in the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region. The head of state expressed hope that humanitarian aid would be delivered to the city and that civilian residents would be safely evacuated.

Next week, there may be positive news regarding the humanitarian situation in the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region.