Ukrainian forces delivered four tonnes of food to Oleshky using a drone on the Ukrainian side of the Dnipro River. Oleshky remains under Russian occupation, a status that has persisted since February 2022.
Regular food deliveries to Oleshky ceased in May 2024. Russian forces reportedly block civilians from leaving the area and obstruct drone deliveries.
Oleksandr Prokudin stated that troops shoot down food-carrying drones, confiscate or resell supplies, and detain local residents. The regional military administration confirmed that Ukrainian forces have been delivering aid via drone across the Dnipro since March.
Estimates suggest the population of Oleshky numbers around 2,000 people. However, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations estimates that more than 6,000 people remain in Oleshky and its surrounding area.
Ukrainian officials stated that anyone suspected of contact with Ukrainian authorities or armed forces faces immediate execution. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam occurred in June 2023.
Flooding in the area resulted in at least 200 to 300 deaths in Oleshky. Tetyana Hasanenko, an employee of the Oleshky city military administration, stated, “People are lying on the roads, rotting, unburied. Today in the basement of the hospital, the very one that has had no electricity for four years now, there are more than 100 corpses.”
Musician Artem Pivovarov reported that people are forced to eat grass and weeds to survive, noting that the roads are mined, making safe exit nearly impossible amid ongoing shelling and drone attacks. Kyiv has prepared a humanitarian evacuation plan that the International Committee of the Red Cross is ready to join.
Andrii Sybiha stated that Russia deliberately provokes a humanitarian catastrophe by blocking access to food and medicine. Michael O'Flaherty stated that civilians are trapped without sufficient food, medicines, medical care, running water, or electricity.
Michael O'Flaherty reminded Russia of its legal obligation under international humanitarian law to ensure the population has access to food and medicines. Oleksandra Oliinykova urged attention to the situation, stating, “Please, google Oleshky. It is a town that is currently under temporary occupation. There is a humanitarian catastrophe there.”
