Key facts
- Twelve people reached Ukraine-controlled territory from Oleshky in September.
- Over 60 people attempted to leave Oleshky in September, with many remaining in occupied territory.
- Residents of Oleshky face severe shortages of food, water, and electricity.
- Mined roads, drone attacks, and interrogations by Russian troops make evacuation dangerous.
- Four people were injured by a mine while attempting to leave Oleshky, and one person was killed by a mine collecting nuts.
- Around 2,000 people, including nearly 50 children, remain in Oleshky with limited access to basic services.
Twelve people successfully reached Ukraine-controlled territory from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in September, according to Tetiana Hasanenko, the exiled head of the Oleshky City Military Administration. She told The Kyiv Independent on October 6 that while over 60 people left the city in September, only twelve managed to reach Ukrainian-controlled areas.
Many of those who left Oleshky remained in occupied territory because they lacked documents, had relatives who could not travel alone, or could not navigate minefields with children. Some residents have resorted to walking out of Oleshky in pairs to the neighboring village of Radensk, about 15 kilometers away, to find food and return, despite the risks of Russian attacks and mines.
Oleshky, located on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in occupied Kherson Oblast, faces severe shortages of food, water, and electricity. Russian troops occupy the area and use it to launch attacks across the river. Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, stated that Russian forces have placed weapons and mines in residential neighborhoods due to the city's proximity to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Earlier incidents highlight the dangers, with four people injured by a mine and one man killed while collecting nuts along routes used by civilians to leave the town. The local hospital is operating without basic medical supplies, electricity, or running water, with only four elderly doctors continuing to work. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry estimates that around 2,000 people, including nearly 50 children, remain in Oleshky with severely limited access to essential services. Russian forces are reportedly preventing Ukraine and international humanitarian organizations from providing aid to the occupied territories.