A critical humanitarian situation has developed in Oleshky, in the temporarily occupied part of Ukraine’s Kherson region. According to various estimates, more than 6,000 people may still remain in the city and surrounding area, including around 200 children.
This was stated in an appeal by the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations.
According to the council, the last food deliveries to Oleshky took place at the end of May 2026. Since then, residents have effectively been under a humanitarian blockade, while Russian forces, the statement says, are preventing people from leaving the city.
Civilians remain in a “gray zone” close to the front line, facing daily risks from shelling and drone attacks. The city is experiencing shortages of food, drinking water, medicines and other essential supplies.
Oleshky’s critical infrastructure has been largely destroyed, while electricity and gas supplies are unavailable. The council also recalled that the city suffered severe flooding in 2023 following the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.
According to the Council of Churches, the Ukrainian side has repeatedly appealed to international organizations to help civilians and organize an evacuation. So far, however, no agreement has been reached on the safe evacuation of residents.
The Ukrainian Council of Churches appealed to Pope Leo XIV, the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance, other religious leaders and human rights organizations, urging them to use every available means to help save the residents of Oleshky.
The council also called on UN member states and the International Committee of the Red Cross to take the necessary steps to organize a humanitarian mission and evacuate residents to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
