Residents of the Russian occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky are risking their lives on dangerous roads in search of food and water as supplies become increasingly scarce.
Oleshky, in the Kherson region near the front line east of the Dnipro River, has about 1,700 residents, including 47 children, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission. The town has little reliable electricity, water or heating.
Residents say the last regular food deliveries to a local shop took place in May. Some people now travel about 20 km to Radensk by foot or bicycle along roads reportedly littered with landmines, destroyed vehicles and unexploded ordnance.
One woman told Reuters she was injured by a landmine while returning from Radensk. She said several people had recently been killed along the route, which residents have dubbed the “road of death”.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said civilians faced a choice between remaining in Oleshky and going hungry or risking their lives trying to leave. He said Kyiv had proposed a local ceasefire and evacuation routes, but Russia rejected the offer.
Russia has acknowledged serious shortages of food and medical supplies in Oleshky but blamed Ukraine for disrupting deliveries. Ukraine rejects the accusation and says Russia, as the occupying power, is responsible for the humanitarian situation.
Residents say the crisis has worsened since May, after Ukrainian volunteers largely stopped delivering supplies and evacuating people. Some families are now surviving on vegetables, homemade bread and dwindling food stocks.
With winter approaching, residents fear the remaining crops will run out. Some households reportedly cook over open fires because gas supplies are unavailable, while medicines are becoming outdated.
Ukraine says it has attempted to deliver food by drone, but Reuters could not independently verify those claims. Russian authorities in occupied Kherson did not respond to requests for comment.
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