Ukraine's foreign minister tells UN Security Council Russia is starving civilians in occupied Oleshky
At a UN Security Council meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia is creating a humanitarian catastrophe in Oleshky, a city in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, by cutting off electricity, heating, food and water while preventing civilians from leaving. He compared the situation to the 1932–1933 Holodomor and called on the international community to press Russia to open humanitarian corridors.
Key points
- Sybiha told the UN Security Council that Russia is "making life impossible" for civilians in Oleshky, in occupied Kherson Oblast.
- Residents of Oleshky and surrounding areas are without electricity, heating, food and water, Sybiha said.
- Russia is starving civilians while preventing them from leaving the occupied territory and using them as human shields, according to Sybiha.
- Sybiha cited an Oleshky resident named Ala who has been surviving on bread alone.
- More than 6,000 people, including about 200 children, may remain in Oleshky and the surrounding area, near the front line.
- The last food supply to Oleshky was at the end of May 2026.
- Sybiha compared the situation to the Holodomor of 1932–1933, calling starvation "a weapon of Moscow then and now," and urged international pressure to open humanitarian corridors.
Why it matters
By raising the situation in Oleshky at the UN Security Council, Ukraine has put allegations of forced starvation in occupied territory directly before the international community. The combination of denied basic services and a ban on evacuation, if confirmed, amounts to a grave breach of the laws of war and a deliberate weaponisation of hunger against civilians. Ukraine's explicit parallel to the 1932–1933 Holodomor sharpens the moral and historical framing of the conflict and raises the political cost of inaction.
What happened
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Oleshky, a city in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast near the front line. He said residents had been cut off from electricity, heating, food and water and that Russian forces were simultaneously preventing civilians from leaving the occupied territory, effectively using them as human shields. Sybiha singled out an Oleshky resident named Ala who, he said, has been surviving on bread alone. Estimates cited in Ukrainian reporting suggest more than 6,000 people, including about 200 children, may still be in Oleshky and the surrounding area, and that the last delivery of food reached the city at the end of May 2026. Sybiha urged the international community to compel Russia to open humanitarian corridors and drew a direct parallel between the present situation and the Holodomor of 1932–1933, calling starvation "a weapon of Moscow then and now." On 16 September, Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets had already said Russia was refusing to confirm readiness for a humanitarian evacuation mission to Oleshky, and the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations had appealed to Pope Leo XIV to help save residents from starvation.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both Ukrainian-language sources centre Sybiha's address to the UN Security Council and his explicit comparison of conditions in Oleshky to the 1932–1933 Holodomor. The agency piece foregrounds the broader historical and moral framing — what it describes as the reproduction of past crimes — while the media outlet leads with the more immediate humanitarian message about Russia driving people to starvation. The two sources together also highlight the range of Ukrainian appeals directed outward: Sybiha's to the UN Security Council, and the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches' to Pope Leo XIV to act on Oleshky.
Background
Oleshky lies in the part of Kherson Oblast occupied by Russian forces and is close to the front line, complicating both evacuation and the delivery of aid. On 16 September, Ukraine's Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said Russia had for a long time been unwilling to confirm readiness for a humanitarian evacuation mission to the city. The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has separately appealed to Pope Leo XIV to use every available means to save Oleshky residents from starvation.