Lubinets: Russia has not confirmed readiness for humanitarian evacuation of civilians from occupied Oleshky
Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on September 16 that Russia has for an extended period not confirmed its readiness to carry out a humanitarian evacuation from the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. Around 6,000 people, including roughly 200 children, remain there without food, drinking water, or medicine and under daily shelling and drone attacks, with some civilians self-evacuating on foot through mined fields.
Key points
- Lubinets stated on September 16, 2026 that Russia has for a long time not confirmed readiness for a humanitarian evacuation from Oleshky
- Earlier negotiations between Ukraine and Russia had produced agreed algorithms and a list of persons to be evacuated
- An estimated more than 6,000 people may remain in Oleshky and the surrounding district, including approximately 200 children
- Ukraine coordinated with its Security and Defense Forces to ensure a ceasefire regime for the planned humanitarian mission
- The ICRC expressed readiness, within its mandate, to participate in the evacuation
- Civilians in Oleshky reportedly lack food, drinking water, medicines and face daily shelling and drone attacks, with some self-evacuating through mined fields
- On September 15, 2026, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on the international community to help secure access and carry out the evacuation
Why it matters
Around 6,000 civilians, including roughly 200 children, are trapped in an occupied area without access to basic necessities and under daily shelling and drone attacks. Despite earlier Ukraine–Russia agreements on the technical details of the evacuation, Russia has not confirmed its participation, leaving the mission stalled. Some civilians are attempting to leave on foot through mined fields, risking death from mines or drone strikes. Ukraine's Foreign Minister has appealed to the international community for help securing access and carrying out the evacuation, and the ICRC has expressed readiness to participate under its mandate, raising the prospect of international humanitarian involvement.
What happened
On September 16, 2026, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that Russia has for an extended period not confirmed its readiness to carry out a humanitarian evacuation from the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. Lubinets said earlier negotiations with the Russian side had produced agreed algorithms of action and a list of persons to be evacuated, and that Ukraine had coordinated with its Security and Defense Forces to ensure a ceasefire regime during the planned humanitarian mission. The International Committee of the Red Cross expressed readiness, within its mandate, to participate in the evacuation. Lubinets's Office verified data on 358 people who urgently need assistance to safely leave the occupied territories and received 176 appeals concerning the humanitarian situation in the temporarily occupied parts of Kherson Oblast. On September 15, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on the international community to help secure access to Oleshky and carry out the evacuation of people left without food, medicine and the ability to leave.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All four source articles are Ukrainian-language and frame the crisis as a humanitarian catastrophe caused by Russian occupation. Coverage centers the Office of the Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights as the main institutional actor, citing its verification of 358 people needing evacuation and the 176 appeals received. Reports emphasize the danger to civilians forced to self-evacuate through mined fields. Russian propaganda claims that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are blocking aid deliveries to Oleshky are presented as a counter-narrative via the Center of National Resistance, contrary to the UN and Ukrainian accounts that place responsibility on the Russian side.
How international sources describe it
No international sources are included in the supplied article set; all four articles are from Ukrainian media and agencies in Ukrainian language, so direct comparison of international framing is not possible from the input. References to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the ICRC and German outlet Bild appear only as cited facts within the Ukrainian coverage rather than as standalone international sources.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the number of children remaining in the Oleshky community: June reporting cited 182 children, while the broader estimate for Oleshky and the surrounding district is approximately 200 children. Separately, Russian propaganda, as reported by the Center of National Resistance, claims that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preventing aid deliveries to Oleshky, contradicting Ukrainian and UN accounts that place responsibility for the humanitarian situation on the Russian occupation.
Background
Earlier negotiations on May 15 produced agreed algorithms and a list of persons to be evacuated from Oleshky and other settlements including Stara Zburivka, Nova Zburivka, and Hola Prystan. As of June 24, 2025, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that no food supplies had reached Russian-occupied Oleshky since May 26. Oleshky is located on the left bank of the Dnipro River near Kherson in a grey zone. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, critical infrastructure in parts of occupied Kherson Oblast, including electricity and gas supply, has been effectively destroyed. The UN and ICRC headquarters in Geneva were informed of the critical situation in Oleshky several months prior to Lubinets's statement.