Ukraine sounds alarm over situation in Oleshky, where starving people are forced to eat grass

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said the humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast is critical and called on international organisations to secure humanitarian access and facilitate the evacuation of residents.

Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter)

Details: Sybiha said there is almost no food left in Oleshky and reports indicate that some civilians are being forced to eat grass and weeds to survive.

Medicines, clean water, electricity and medical care are also becoming increasingly difficult to access. Children are among those living in these conditions.

Sybiha called on the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international actors to use their capabilities to deliver humanitarian aid and ensure the safe evacuation of people who want to leave.

Quote: "People there cannot survive on statements of concern. Humanitarian access and safe evacuation must become a reality, because every day matters."

Details: Sybiha holds Russia, which has occupied the city, responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe.

Background:

• On 19 September, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations (UCCRO) said Oleshky was on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.
• According to the UCCRO, the city's last food deliveries were in late May. There may still be more than 6,000 people in Oleshky and the surrounding area, including around 200 children.
• The 34th Separate Marine Brigade has posted footage of occupied Oleshky, saying the Russians have "turned it into a ghost town".

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