Russia refusing to confirm evacuation of civilians from occupied Oleshky, Ukrainian ombudsman says
Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on September 16 that Russia is refusing to confirm a humanitarian evacuation of civilians from the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region, despite earlier agreements, an ICRC offer to participate, and a worsening crisis on the ground. Civilians are reportedly without food, drinking water or medicine, and some have begun walking through mined fields on their own to escape the area.
Key points
- Lubinets said on September 16 that Russia has not confirmed readiness to carry out a humanitarian evacuation of civilians from occupied Oleshky in Kherson region.
- Ukraine and Russia had previously reached agreements on evacuation algorithms and a list of persons to be evacuated, and the ICRC has said it is ready to participate within its mandate.
- More than 6,000 people, including roughly 200 children, may remain in Oleshky and the surrounding district, according to Lubinets (Bild estimates 2,000–4,000).
- Civilians reportedly lack food, drinking water, and medicines, and some are self-evacuating on foot through mined fields under drone fire.
- The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said that as of June 24 no food supplies had reached occupied Oleshky since May 26.
- Ukraine says it has coordinated a ceasefire regime with its Security and Defense Forces for the planned humanitarian mission.
- On September 15 Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha appealed to the international community to help secure access to and evacuation from occupied Oleshky.
Why it matters
More than 6,000 civilians — including about 200 children — are reported to be trapped in occupied Oleshky without reliable access to food, water or medicine, and some are already risking their lives to leave on foot through mined fields. The technical groundwork for an evacuation is in place and the ICRC has said it is ready to help, but Russia is blocking confirmation, leaving a formal humanitarian corridor unrealized and pushing the crisis further toward mass civilian harm.
What happened
On September 16, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Russia has for an extended period refused to confirm it will carry out a humanitarian evacuation of civilians from the occupied city of Oleshky on the left bank of the Dnipro in Kherson region. He said Ukraine and Russia had previously agreed on the algorithms for the operation and on a list of persons to be evacuated, that the International Committee of the Red Cross had expressed readiness to participate within its mandate, and that Ukraine had coordinated a ceasefire regime with its Security and Defense Forces for the mission. Despite that, civilians in Oleshky remain under daily shelling and drone attacks and lack food, drinking water and medicine; some are crossing mined fields on foot to try to reach safety. Lubinets's Office has verified 358 people in urgent need of assistance to leave and has received 176 appeals about the humanitarian situation in the occupied parts of Kherson region. A day earlier, on September 15, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha publicly appealed to the international community to help force access and evacuation.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage centers Lubinets's office and Foreign Minister Sybiha as the authoritative voices on the crisis. It emphasizes that the technical groundwork for an evacuation has long been in place — agreed algorithms, an agreed list of evacuees, ICRC readiness and a Ukrainian-coordinated ceasefire — and frames Russia as the sole remaining blocker of humanitarian relief. The Center of National Resistance, cited in Ukrainian reporting, accuses Russia of exploiting the disaster for propaganda by claiming the Armed Forces of Ukraine are blocking aid. Headlines highlight civilians being forced to cross mined fields on foot as evidence of how dire the situation has become.
Where reporting differs
Estimates of how many civilians remain in occupied Oleshky differ: Lubinets cites more than 6,000 people, including about 200 children, based on the population of the city and district, while the German newspaper Bild estimates between 2,000 and 4,000 people.
Background
Oleshky sits on the left bank of the Dnipro River near Kherson in a contested grey zone. Negotiations on an urgent evacuation from Oleshky and surrounding settlements — Stara Zburivka, Nova Zburivka and Hola Prystan — took place on May 15, after which technical details and a list of evacuees were reportedly agreed. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that, as of June 24, no food supplies had reached occupied Oleshky since May 26. Lubinets said the combined population of Oleshky, Stara and Nova Zburivka, and Hola Prystan has fallen by about 34,000 since the start of the occupation, with Oleshky's population alone decreasing roughly tenfold.