Warnings of famine have intensified in the Ukrainian town of Oleshky, located in the southern Kherson region, as residents endure critical food shortages amid the ongoing Russian occupation and natural disasters. The town has seen its last food deliveries in late May 2023, and local authorities describe the situation as a famine rather than mere starvation.
Oleshky has been occupied since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The town’s conditions deteriorated further following a catastrophic blast at the Kakhovka Power Plant and the breach of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023, which caused widespread flooding.
Daily Struggle for Food and Survival
According to Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky City Military Administration, residents regularly send messages highlighting extreme food scarcity. One man shared a photo of a vegetable soup, dubbed “Oleshky borsch,” made from leftovers with added millet and eggs to make it more filling. Obtaining ingredients has become a challenge, with reports of sugar being bartered for eggs and asparagus replacing traditional cabbage due to scarcity.
Local resident Halyna, speaking by phone, described her daily meals as limited to basic flatbread made from water and flour with apple sauce and unsweetened tea. She noted that food prices are exorbitantly high, with zucchinis selling for 1,000 rubles (approximately $11.40) per kilogram and sacks of flour fetching hundreds of thousands of rubles. Market gatherings are brief, and movement outside the town is restricted to early morning hours.
Perilous Evacuations and Medical Crisis
Evacuation efforts remain fraught with danger. The only viable evacuation route is through the village of Tarasivka, about 40 kilometers from Oleshky, leading to safer areas like Skadovsk. However, the route is heavily mined, and several residents have died attempting to pass through. Ambulance services have ceased for over a month following the killing of a driver, and many injured by mines and explosive devices lack medical treatment due to shortages of anesthesiologists and medicine.
These challenges are compounded by legal and financial hurdles, as many residents lack valid passports from either Russia or Ukraine and face severe cash shortages.
Calls for Safe Evacuation Amid Stalled Negotiations
Ukrainian officials, including Tetiana Hasanenko and human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets, have emphasized the urgent need for establishing a “green corridor” to evacuate civilians from Oleshky. Approximately 358 residents have been identified as needing immediate evacuation, though the town’s population exceeds 6,000.
Preliminary agreements involving Kyiv, Moscow, and international organizations like the Red Cross had been reached to facilitate evacuations under ceasefire conditions. However, Lubinets noted that Russia has not confirmed its willingness to proceed with evacuation efforts recently, leaving residents in desperation and without hope.
