The Ukrainian town of Oleshky in the Kherson region is on the brink of a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe due to the actions of Russian forces, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has warned.
"Around 1,700 people are still trapped in the destroyed town. The only road out is mined and watched by attack drones. Those who try to flee risk being killed. The nearby river is mined, too. Residents doubt they can survive this winter. The hospital has run out of medicine. Dozens of bodies lie in the streets or in homes, as Russians forbid residents from burying them. Families are starving, surviving on leftover garden vegetables, preserves and even snails. Residents say Russian soldiers have threatened them at gunpoint to seize their food," Sybiha wrote on X.
He stressed that Ukraine has repeatedly called for safe evacuation and access for international humanitarian assistance, and that these appeals must not go unanswered.
"We urge the UN, the ICRC, and all partners to use every available channel to secure safe evacuation corridors and immediate humanitarian access to Oleshky. Russia must stop obstructing efforts to save civilian lives," the minister emphasised.
Sybiha thanked international partners and people around the world who have refused to remain silent and have become a voice for the residents of Oleshky.
He also expressed particular gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his appeal to Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid deliveries.
"People cannot survive on statements of concern. They need action. They need a way out. And they need it now," Sybiha concluded.
