Humanitarian catastrophe unfolds in occupied Oleshky as Russia blocks evacuation

Why it matters

The situation in Oleshky documents a sustained humanitarian catastrophe in an occupied Ukrainian city, with thousands of civilians — including children — cut off from basic supplies while Russian forces prevent evacuation and confiscate aid. The investigation's identification of specific Russian units and commanders potentially implicated in the crisis creates a basis for future accountability. International responses, including statements from the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and Ukrainian plans to raise the issue at the UN General Assembly, signal that the case is being treated as a serious protection-of-civilians concern. Internal complaints from soldiers of the 126th Brigade also expose Russian command dysfunction, including concealment of losses and failures to evacuate the wounded.

What happened

Oleshky, a city on the left bank of Kherson Oblast under Russian occupation since the first days of the full-scale invasion, has been gripped by a humanitarian catastrophe that local authorities say has lasted roughly half a year. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, no food supplies reached the city after 26 May. Ukrainian authorities estimate around 6,000 people remain in the Oleshky community, including roughly 180–200 children, while Kherson OVA head Oleksandr Prokudin said about 2,000 people, including nearly 50 children, are being held hostage. Occupation governor Volodymyr Saldo refused to disclose the city's population, calling such a figure 'non-objective information.'

Ukrainian forces delivered roughly 4 tonnes of food by drone, but Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky Military Administration, said Russian soldiers confiscated those deliveries. She reported that civilians are forced to eat purslane, that residents escaping the city have lost 10–15 kg of body weight, and that Russian troops seize homes, demand food and alcohol from occupants, and use civilians as a 'human shield.' Escape routes cross minefields, and some residents who set out have not returned.

An investigation by the Ukrainian outlet Slidstvo.Info linked the situation to the 126th Separate Coastal Defense Brigade of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the 331st Guards Airborne Regiment, whose commanders may be involved in the catastrophe. The 126th was formed in 2014 from the former Ukrainian 36th Coastal Defense Brigade using servicemembers who switched sides after the occupation of Crimea; the 331st's units shot Ukrainian troops exiting Ilovaisk through the 'green corridor' in 2014. Servicemembers of the 126th publicly appealed at the end of July to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee over equipment shortages, evacuation failures and concealment of real losses; the appeal was later removed from most Russian resources.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on 16 September that Russia had not confirmed readiness to conduct a humanitarian evacuation mission; on 25 September he said Ukraine was ready to pursue several scenarios to save residents. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he would raise Oleshky at the UN General Assembly to seek a humanitarian corridor. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty called for a local ceasefire and safe evacuation. Solidarity marches were held in Berlin on 28 September and planned for Budapest on 30 September.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All available sources are Ukrainian outlets and agencies. Coverage centers on Russian military responsibility for the catastrophe, the concealment of information by occupation governor Saldo, and the suffering of Ukrainian civilians. Reporting foregrounds Ukrainian official actors — Ombudsman Lubinets, Foreign Minister Sybiha, Kherson OVA head Prokudin and Oleshky MVA head Hasanenko — Ukrainian drone deliveries of food, Ukrainian-led solidarity actions in Berlin and Budapest, and the Slidstvo.Info investigation identifying the implicated Russian units. Ukrainian sources repeatedly highlight Russian soldiers seizing civilian homes, confiscating humanitarian deliveries and using civilians as human shields, and frame Russian servicemembers' complaints against the 126th Brigade's command as evidence of Russian command dysfunction.

How international sources describe it

International framing in the available sources is limited. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights called for a local ceasefire, humanitarian access and safe evacuation of civilians, and Ukrainian officials said they would raise the situation at the UN General Assembly. Solidarity actions were held in Berlin (28 September) by Ukrainian community members and planned in Budapest (30 September) by the Ukrainian association 'Yednist,' with an appeal prepared for OCHA, OHCHR, the ICRC and UNHCR. Beyond these responses, no separate international media framing is documented in the supplied sources.

Where reporting differs

Sources differ on the identity of the commander of the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade: Slidstvo.Info, citing a Russian Telegram channel, names Colonel Oleg Aleksandrov as of May 2025, while the independent OSINT project 'Komandery Provalu' names 43-year-old Kostiantyn Kochetkov. They also differ on the date of the last food delivery to Oleshky — UN Monitoring Mission data cited in multiple articles points to 26 May (with no supplies reaching the city as of 24 June), while one article refers to 'the end of May 2026' as the last delivery. The number of children remaining is also reported variously as about 180 (Ukrainian authorities for the Oleshky community), about 200 (in and around the city), and nearly 50 among roughly 2,000 hostages (Kherson OVA head Prokudin).

Background

Oleshky is on the left bank of Kherson Oblast and has been under Russian occupation since the first days of the full-scale invasion. The city suffered massive flooding and destruction after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023. The Russian-appointed occupation administration of Kherson Oblast is led by Volodymyr Saldo, who has refused to disclose Oleshky's population. The 126th Separate Coastal Defense Brigade was formed in 2014 from the former Ukrainian 36th Coastal Defense Brigade using servicemembers who switched sides after the occupation of Crimea; it is based in Perevalne, Crimea and operates as part of the Russian 'Dnepr' grouping. The 331st Guards Airborne Regiment is part of the 98th Guards Airborne Division, based in Kostroma Oblast; in 2014 its units shot Ukrainian servicemembers exiting Ilovaisk through the 'green corridor.'