Ukraine proposes Oleshky evacuation, accuses Russia of blocking it as starvation reports mount

Why it matters

Oleshky has become a test case of whether international humanitarian mechanisms can operate inside Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Ukraine says it has a one-day evacuation plan that Russia is blocking, leaving civilians without food since late May and with reported starvation deaths. Kyiv is using the case to press the UN, ICRC and the Council of Europe to act, with Ukrainian officials publicly declaring that international organizations have been completely ineffective — a framing that raises the political stakes of any further response.

What happened

Ukraine proposed to Russia a temporary cessation of hostilities in the area of Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast in order to evacuate civilians via a land corridor. Russia rejected both the ceasefire, described by the Ukrainian side as a "silence regime," and the proposed evacuation routes, even though contact persons had been designated on both sides to maintain the arrangement.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said the evacuation could be carried out in one day if Russia agreed. Talks included representatives of the Ukrainian military and identified contacts on each side, but no agreement was reached. As of mid-summer Lubinets' office estimated about 6,000 civilians, including about 200 children, remained in Oleshky and five neighboring settlements; Kherson Oblast head Oleksandr Prokudin gave a lower figure of about 2,000 people, including nearly 50 children, in Oleshky itself; city military administration head Tetiana Hasanenko put the number of children at at least 45.

The humanitarian situation is severe. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and the city military administration, no food deliveries have reached Oleshky since 26 May. Some food is being delivered by Ukrainian drones across the Dnipro — a recent major operation moved about 4,000 tons of products to 100 designated locations — but Russian forces are reported to shoot down drones, seize aid and detain or beat residents who try to receive it. Civilians face shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity, with civilians reportedly forced to eat grass and weeds, and journalist Oleh Baturin, citing recent evacuees, reporting cases of death from starvation, though residents he spoke to did not confirm media reports of people eating dogs or rats. Roads, fields and approaches to the river are mined and under constant shelling, and bodies of the dead are reportedly being kept in the hospital basement because the morgue has been destroyed.

On 16 September Lubinets said Russia had for an extended period not confirmed readiness to carry out the evacuation despite prior agreements and prepared algorithms, and assessed the situation as showing the "complete ineffectiveness of international organizations." On 20 September Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced Ukraine was bringing the Oleshky situation and other occupied communities of Kherson Oblast to the UN General Assembly; on 26 September he publicly called on the UN, ICRC and other international actors to ensure immediate humanitarian access and a safe evacuation, and placed full responsibility for the catastrophe on Russia's illegal occupation. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty called for an immediate local ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access and safe evacuation, drawing Sybiha's thanks. On 19 September the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations appealed to Pope Leo XIV, the UN and the ICRC to help evacuate Oleshky residents, asking the Pope to use all possible means to save them from starvation.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian coverage centers Oleshky as a humanitarian catastrophe directly caused by Russia's illegal occupation, casting Ukraine as actively trying to evacuate civilians and deliver food while Russia blocks relief. Reporting foregrounds statements by Lubinets, Sybiha, Prokudin and Hasanenko, and highlights Ukrainian drone deliveries across the Dnipro, including a recent 4,000-ton operation, as evidence of Kyiv's efforts. Ukrainian outlets criticize the "complete ineffectiveness" of international organizations and frame appeals to the UN, ICRC, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and Pope Leo XIV, alongside the raising of the issue at the UN General Assembly. Graphic details — civilians eating grass and weeds, starvation deaths, mined approaches, bodies in the hospital basement — are emphasized to underscore the urgency of evacuation.

Where reporting differs

Ukrainian sources give different figures for the number of civilians remaining in occupied Oleshky: the Ombudsman's Office cites approximately 6,000 civilians including about 200 children across Oleshky and five neighboring settlements (as of mid-summer), while Kherson Oblast head Oleksandr Prokudin cites about 2,000 people including nearly 50 children in Oleshky itself, and city military administration head Tetiana Hasanenko cites at least 45 children. Reports that Oleshky residents are eating dogs appear in statements attributed to the city military administration and some media, but residents interviewed by journalist Oleh Baturin said they had not heard of such cases, and Baturin's sources also could not confirm reports of people catching and eating rats. Some sources record the last food delivery to Oleshky as late May generally, while others specify 26 May, citing the city military administration or the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. On the dangers of self-evacuation, Lubinets emphasizes the risk of being killed by Russian forces or detonating mines, while also noting detention by occupation authorities, and Prokudin emphasizes the detention and beating of residents trying to receive humanitarian parcels.

Background

Oleshky is a city in Kherson Oblast on the left (southern) bank of the Dnipro River, occupied by Russia after 2022. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and the city military administration, no food supplies have reached the city since 26 May, creating an extended period without humanitarian access. Ukraine has been trying to deliver food by drones across the Dnipro, including via the 34th Separate Marine Brigade and the 11th National Guard Brigade, but Russian forces are reported to shoot down drones, seize aid and detain civilians who attempt to receive it. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has publicly called for an immediate ceasefire and safe evacuation, lending international institutional weight to Ukrainian appeals.