Residents of occupied Oleshky risk their lives searching for food and water — BBC News
In Oleshky, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — in the Kherson region, residents report a critical shortage of food, water, electricity and medical care. As BBC News reports, people are forced to search for food in neighboring settlements, risking drone strikes or mines.
One city resident, whose name was changed for security reasons, said that a married couple she knew died on September 20. According to her, they were returning with a bag of groceries from Radensk, located about 23 km away, but did not manage to get home before the curfew imposed by the occupation authorities. Four separate sources confirmed to the BBC the deaths of two civilians carrying food.
Shortages of food and medical care
According to residents, the last food delivery to Oleshky took place in May. Shops in the city no longer operate, and people cannot buy clothing or hygiene products. Residents discuss in local chats which wild plants can be eaten and how to prepare them, and also try to sell, exchange or share food.
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There has been no gas or electricity in the city since 2023. Residents also report a lack of water supply. According to them, only one hospital is partially operational, performing critically necessary amputations several days a week. Before Russia's full-scale invasion, about 24,000 people lived in Oleshky; Ukrainian authorities estimate that around 6,000 people remain in the city and surrounding areas, including 200 children.
Data on the dead
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented reports this year of at least 29 civilians killed and 54 injured in Oleshky and neighboring Hola Prystan. Volunteer Kseniia Arkhipova, who left Oleshky in the summer of 2022, is involved in efforts to deliver food and medicine and organize evacuations. She said she keeps a list of the dead and has included about 1,200 people in it. The BBC was unable to independently verify these data.
Local residents also told journalists that the Russian occupation authorities restrict the burial of people killed by drone strikes, mines or under other circumstances. According to them, burial requires a conclusion from a Russian doctor following an autopsy, which cannot be obtained in the city. This week, the Kremlin acknowledged the critical situation in Oleshky and problems with food and medicine supplies, while placing responsibility on Kyiv.
